The City of Riverside has said “thanks, but no thanks,” to a proposal to build an auto rallycross event space in the city.
A representative of the Kansas City chapter of the Sports Car Club of America spoke to the board at its Tuesday, March 2 meeting, outlining a plan to host six events this year and customize property along Canal Street for its purposes. The city hosted an event on the property this past December and found the site suited to its needs and hoped to grow in the city.
“We have a history of this in the city – we had a car racing track, so I can go way back with that,” said mayor Kathy Rose, referring to the historic Red X race track that operated for decades in the city. “But do I want to see another race track here? Probably not.”
The city has plans to develop the property along Canal Street, and Rose said she doesn’t want to see the organization sink its funding into building infrastructure and then losing the property when a more attractive development project comes along.
An event permit has already been approved for March 28 in the same location. Rose said she has no problems with small-scale events, but doesn’t want to commit to a long-term agreement with KC Rallycross.
Rose promised to drop by the March 28 event to see the scope of the rally and the events could potentially continue on a case-by-case basis.
NEW RED X
Rose also announced the upcoming reconstruction of a Riverside staple. Red X started out as a gas station in 1948, opened by one of the founding fathers of Riverside – E.H. Young. The store has remained in the family for three generations and its sprawling facility still displays portions of the artifact and oddity collection of E.H. Young.
Riverside management announced late last month that plans were in the works to rebuild the store. Details are pending, but Red X will lose none of its quirky charm, owners say.
“Not to worry, the new Red X will still be the ‘Store to Explore.’ Incorporating 73 years of history and the greatest selection of curious antiques and eclectic artifacts has been our design focus.” according to official social media.