The predictions were leaning toward the City Council of the City of Inglewood, California voting to approve the proposed $2 billion real estate development that would replace the historic Hollywood Park racetrack. The decision had not yet been made by the Inglewood City Council at time of publishing. If the vote is indeed in favor of the new development, it will change the face of  Inglewood immensely.
The meeting was held in the City Council Chambers, in Inglewood City Hall, One Manchester Boulevard and was filled to capacity, overflowing into the downstairs community room. .  The Council has reviewed the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) No. 13 and Draft Specific Plan No. 08-01.  The plan details the mixed-use development proposed by the Hollywood Park Land Company, LLC, on the 238-acre Hollywood Park property located at 1050 South Prairie Avenue.
The track's owner, Bay Area developer Wilson Meany Sullivan, plans to start work on a massive retail and residential complex in about a year if the council approves the project.
Development would end racing at Hollywood Park, where thoroughbreds have raced since 1938. Although this decision would tug on the emotions of many of the special hearing attendees, the majority of the overflow crowd spoke favorably of the new project. Many will hold on to memories of the races but eagerly look forward to the project evolving in Inglewood.
Racing would continue "up to the last minute" before construction, Chris Meany, a partner at Wilson Meany Sullivan. Horse racing officials would get six months' notice, he said, and racing would stop at the end of one of the track's two annual seasons, which conclude in July and December.
Meany said he knows there are racing fans who don't want to see the end of the track, but he said the track is no longer viable as a business. At previous hearing the cancellation of a race at Hollywood Park was also cited.
The new project, called Hollywood Park Tomorrow, would incorporate the existing Hollywood Park Casino. According to Meany, the card club is more profitable than the track, which no longer pulls the crowds it once did.
Through its sheer size, Hollywood Park offers a rare opportunity for large-scale development in an urban area. At 238 acres, it is about the size of Boston's financial district and twice as big as Vatican City. The DEIR and Draft Specific Plan were prepared for a project that would include the demolition of the Hollywood Park racetrack and the new construction of approximately 2,995 for-sale dwelling units, 620,000 square feet of retail space, 75,000 square feet of office/commercial space, and 10,000 square feet of community serving uses for the Home Owners’ Association (HOA).  The project would also allow for an optional 300-room hotel including 20,000 square feet of related meeting space.
A four-acre site is proposed for civic uses, which could include uses such as a school, library, community center, etc., subject to a City determination.  Approximately 25 acres would be designated for recreation/open space for the development, including 2.5 acres developed as an HOA facility.  The proposed residential units would include single family homes, townhomes, stacked flats, condominium units and mixed-use housing developed above ground floor retail or office uses in commercial center areas.  Approximately 90 percent of the residential development would be for-sale (i.e., ownership). 
Hollywood Park's attendance is about 4,500 people each race day, with Friday nights having the highest attendance of about 6,300, said Mike Mooney, director of publicity.

Investigative journalist Suzanne Marcus-Fletcher's television broadcast package on Hollywood Park included the following comment: The state's unemployment rate from the demolished tracks is also a primary issue for both the workers and the state. While Hollywood Park employs several hundred union workers, it is also a critical hub for thousands of "back end" racing related jobs, including trainers, grooms, farriers, veterinarians, farm workers, horse transport companies, drivers, boarding facilities, and  hundreds of other industry related jobs.   While some call the proposed "Hollywood Park Tomorrow" project "progress," others call it a cautionary tale of potentially incalculable proportions.  One that will rob "The City of Champions" of its final crown jewel, a gem that currently pays the City between $1 million to nearly $1.5 million in annual tax revenue.  Since the Lakers and Kings left the Inglewood Forum for the Staple Center in 1999, their coffers cannot absorb the tab for another failed venture in Inglewood. You can view the entire broadcast at  http://www.youtube.com/user/gailsuzanne.

Each day, trainers and jockeys discuss the possibility that the racetrack will close, said Doug O'Neill, a trainer who lives in Santa Monica and works with horses Square Eddie and Southern Fireball.

"It's such a beautiful facility," O'Neill said. "If that were to go away, I think it would possibly make horse racing go one step closer toward going away in California."
O'Neill is worried that if Hollywood Park is developed, "we're going to look back and say I can't believe we didn't work harder to save that place. It truly is a hidden treasure."