Among the numerous proposals the state is considering for the site currently occupied by the Continental Arena would be a NASCAR race track, proposed by developer Donald Trump.
Trump and International Speedway Corporation are expected to formally submit their proposal to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority by the deadline date of Sept. 17.
The Sports Authority is looking to find a lucrative attraction for the 104-acre tract in order to replace the Nets basketball team and the Devils ice hockey team, both of which are expected to relocate to a new arena planned for Newark.
While races would not be conducted everyday all year 'round, practice runs would fill in those times when races were not scheduled.
Hudson County mayors most affected by possible noise impact, however, said they will not stand for anything that would increase the noise level.
"I would have a severe problem with the noise," said Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell. "They would have to show me how the noise levels from the race track would not impact the normally quiet quality of life in the north end of Secaucus."
Secaucus' north end is situated directly across the Hackensack River from the proposed race car site. Elwell -- who grew up and still lives in that part of Secaucus - said he recalled the negative impact Secaucus residents suffered in the early 1990 when the Sports Authority permitted Formula One racing in the Meadowlands for a brief time.
"We heard the winding and whirling all weekend," Mayor Elwell said. "I think if Donald Trump thinks NASCAR racing is such a good idea, he should put it in his own backyard."
The Sports Authority - in giving Trump permission to move ahead with the proposal two years ago - believes NASCAR racing to be one of the fastest growing spectator sports in the county and something that would find a significant audience in the area.
North Bergen Mayor (and State Senator) Nicholas Sacco said the noise would create a negative quality of life, and though he has no preference for what should go into the Arena site, it should not be NASCAR racing.
"This is a terrible use of the Meadowlands," Sacco said. "The noise would have a detrimental effect on any community around the Meadowlands. We had to put up with other races there and we learned that between the practices and the races, there was just too much noise."
Sacco said the noise from the race way would easily reach communities such as North Bergen that reside on the western slope of the Palisades.
West New York Mayor Albio Sires has also gone on the record to oppose the racing, but Sires is also opposed to another prominent proposal that would allow Virginia-based Mills Corporation to build a mega-mall there. Sires fears the mall would fill the Meadowlands mall with noisy customers who might otherwise frequent the business district along Bergenline Avenue in North Hudson.
Some Bergen County Mayors such as in Rutherford and Lyndhurst, however, faced with either the prospect of a noisy raceway or a very silent downtown as a result of the mall, say they still have an open mind when it comes to the raceway, and are taking "a wait and see" approach.
Assemblyman Anthony Impreveduto (D-32nd Dist.) who represents Secaucus, North Bergen and sections of Jersey City, said he opposed the racing proposal when first presented two years ago.
"I am absolutely opposed to this," he said. "This area does not need a NASCAR track. Towns like Secaucus, Carlstadt, Rutherford, East Rutherford and Moonache - which are nearest to that location - would suffer a constant drone."
Impreveduto added, "I'm also worried about the traffic created by people flocking to the races." He noted that he opposes removing the Arena and forcing the two teams to move to Newark.
"If those teams are losing money in the Meadowlands, I can't see them making money in Newark," he said. "I also don't believe the move will create jobs. If anything, the move will do away with jobs that already exist here."
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