Motoplex proposed for far eastern Manatee
By RICHARD DYMOND -
rdymond@bradenton.com MANATEE — A Bradenton man has filed an application to build a motoplex, including a 10-acre motocross track, in far eastern Manatee County.
Vietnam veteran Peter Shirk, who owns Semper Fi Group in Palmetto, seeks approval to build on a portion of the 550 acres he owns on the county line, right next to Roy Moore Road in Hardee County, said Misty Servia, planning department manager for King Engineering in Sarasota.
The site would include “bumps and jumps” designed by a leading national track designer, Shirk said Thursday.
“Florida is one of the main states in the U.S. for motorcycle activities and there’s a lack of places for people to ride,” Shirk said. “There is nothing between north of Tampa and the Seminole Indian reservation. If Manatee County will let me, I’ll make this a world class attraction.”
If approved, Shirk said he would have to start out slowly, first just building trails for quads, all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and, ultimately, BMX bikes, he said.
“I can’t build permanent structures yet,” he said.
Shirk’s dream is for families to come from all over the state, camp out at the facility and ride together, Servia said.
A Manatee County hearing officer recently approved Shirk’s land for a borrow pit, which is a major earth-moving operation where fill is excavated for transport off site.
But with the economy off, Shirk decided to go in a different direction despite the approval.
“There’s not a demand for fill right now,” Shirk said. “The motoplex is now front and center.”
The county will not permit Shirk to do both ventures at the same time, Servia said.
The land is currently zoned for agriculture, which means that a motocross track would fall into current zoning, said Lisa Barrett, a county planner.
“That is a rural recreation use and it is allowed with a special permit, which requires a public hearing with a hearing officer,” Barrett said.
The hearing before the hearing officer, at which time the public can voice opinions, is tentatively scheduled for July 20, Servia said.
The track would be located toward the center of the huge parcel to minimize noise impact, Shirk said.
Although there are no neighbors to the west or south, about a half dozen Hardee County neighbors do live on Roy Moore Road to the east, Shirk said.
“We are about 1,500 feet from the nearest neighbor to the east,” Shirk added.
Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 708-7917.
