Motorsports park in PolkCounty almost here...

[Ride1Rob]

Motorsports Park OK'd
By Tom Palmer
THE LEDGER


Published: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 6:11 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 6:56 a.m.
BARTOW | A proposed off-road vehicle park and concert venue in Southeastern Polk got the OK on Tuesday from county planning commissioners.

The case was originally heard in May, but commissioners delayed a decision to get more information on the potential noise impact. They voted 4-3 Tuesday to approve it.

The project, called the Triple Canopy Family Motorsports Park, is planned for a 428-acre site on County Road 630 south of State Road 60 near Indian Lake Estates. The applicant is PEC Properties of Winter Haven.

At Tuesday's meeting, commissioners questioned whether the size of crowds expected was large enough to cause the project to be treated as a development of regional impact.

If the facility is declared a DRI, it would be in violation of its zoning permit and would have to go through review by the Central Florida Regional Planning Council. The DRI threshold is 1,000 parking spaces.

Commission Chairman Augie Fragala wondered how the county would enforce the limits or document the intensity of how the project was used.

Peter Cassidy, the project's representative, said he met with property owners, paid for a noise study at a comparable facility in South Florida and met with the county's Off-Highway Vehicle Committee to try to deal with the issues.

Cassidy said his research found that this was probably the best use of the property he's trying to market.

Opposition to the project came primarily from homeowners in Indian Lake Estates and some other adjacent property owners who were concerned about noise and traffic, which they said would devalue their homes.

Resident Betty Ward visited the facility where the sound study was done, reporting the study was done on a day when activity was relatively light.

"The more people, the more noise," she said.

She said the South Florida venue was located on a major highway and was not near homes.

The only support at the hearing came from Mark Zimmerman of Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing, who said such a facility would bring money to the local economy.

Commissioners were split on the issue.