3051 S Rooney Rd, Morrison,

Earlier this year, it was announced that Bandimere Speedway will be closing and selling the site to Copart, a California-based car auction company.

During a Morrison town board meeting earlier this month, the board approved the annexation of the entire Bandimere Speedway property, paving the way for Copart, a global auto auction company, to develop their vehicle auction center.

The deal requires Copart to transfer 16 acres of mixed-use zoned land to the town, allowing Morrison to control future development on prime real estate near C-470 and Morrison Road.

The remainder of the site will be rezoned to Planned Unit Development (PUD), permitting Copart's vehicle auction center. This PUD zoning will also facilitate future development of the site if Copart decides to sell the land to a developer at a later date.

The annexation has been met with mixed reactions; while some residents lament the loss of the speedway, others view the low-impact development as a positive step in preserving the town's small-town character.

During the annexation discussions, emotions ran high as the Bandimere family, who owned the speedway for 65 years, expressed sadness over leaving the site. They cited changes in the racing industry and surrounding development as reasons for the sale. Despite concerns from some town trustees about the rushed nature of the deal and the size of Copart compared to Morrison, many residents saw the annexation as a rare opportunity to control the future of a significant piece of land while maintaining the town's character.