Canterbury Park Holding Co. wants to create a new subsidiary that could develop about half of the 407 acres it currently owns in Shakopee.
The company filed a preliminary proxy with the Securities and Exchange Commission calling for a special shareholder meeting sometime in November to approve a new corporate structure.
Under the plan, a new parent company would control two subsidiaries. One, Canterbury Park Entertainment, would control the company's existing racetrack operations, including the parimutuel wagering, card casino, concessions and related business. The second subsidiary, Canterbury Development, would develop about 200 acres currently owned by the company but not needed for racetrack operations.
"We began working on a retail project back in 2007 or 2008," said Randy Sampson, CEO of Canterbury Park. "When the economy tanked, those kind of projects ended."
Now the company is ready to renew development projects. The company will pursue a variety of residential and commercial options.
Sampson said that, in addition to the new corporate structure, the company also needs to replat and rezone the property.
"Our goal would be to potentially break ground in 2016 on the first phases," Sampson said. That first phase could include some residential development, apartment buildings, warehouse/office building or some combination.
Total development of the 200 acres could take five to 10 years, Sampson said.