Auto Auction Company pulls rezoning application on South Bend Motor Speedway

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Auto Auction Company eyeing the former South Bend Motor Speedway pulled its application to rezone the land, stepping away from any purchase agreement.

This comes after environmentalists spoke out in droves in committee meetings, urging the council to vote against the rezoning efforts to protect the rare black oak savannah adjacent to the field.

The attorney representing the buyer, Insurance Auto Auction Corp, in an email to county officials, explains that they tried to find a compromise, scaling back the development to help preserve the savannah, but ultimately, found it was not economically viable to proceed with the purchase.

Now, we’re told, some fear the next buyer might not need a special use permit, therefore no public hearing, putting the savannah at risk once again. But the way things stand now, the land is still for sale, and the owner eager for someone to take the speedway off his hands.