Gulfstream Park Receives 24-Hour Building Permit

Gulfstream Park received permission Tuesday to conduct round-the-clock construction on a new grandstand as soon as its meet ends April 24.

The Hallandale City Commission approved the construction schedule and placed building restrictions on a 10-acre parcel adjoining a residential neighborhood, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Magna Entertainment Corp., which owns Gulfstream Park, plans to replace the existing grandstand with a three-tier sports palace and turf club. Construction is expected to be completed by the start of Gulfstreamês 2003 meet next January, but meeting that schedule required that crews work all day and night. MEC also has in its five-year redevelopment plan for the 250-acre site an 80-room hotel, an indoor concert arena, and a retail complex.

Even though most city officials did not oppose the extended construction hours, Florida law says local government are required to grant pari-mutuel businesses building permits as long as the plans do not pose safety and life hazards. The city did offer adjoining neighborhoods some protection by setting up a system to handle complaints, and by requiring that only living quarters and some recreational amenities be built on a 10-acre parcel next to the Golden Isles neighborhood.

The public would not be able to enter the park from Lane Boulevard, which runs next to the tract, and a 6-foot to 8-foot barbed wire fence would also be installed with landscaping.