Rockingham Park site redevelopment wins initial approval

First phase of mixed-use ‘town center’ gets planners’ OK

Almost a week to the day before the official closing of the Rockingham Park racetrack, the Salem Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the master plan to redevelop 170 acres of the facility into a mixed-use “town center.”

"I believe that we are at the point where we can say the criteria have been basically met or addressed to our satisfaction," Salem Planning Director Ross Moldoff told the board on Aug. 23, the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune reported.

The development, to be called Tuscan Village, is proposed by Salem restaurateur Joseph Faro, owner of the Tuscan Brands and the Tuscan Kitchen restaurant chain.

The first portion of the project includes construction of 350 residential units and 164,000 square feet of retail space in nine buildings, including an 80-000-square-foot market.

The historic racetrack, known as “The Rock,” is closing Aug. 31 after 110 years.