I just saw on the local 10pm news that our newest road-course-in-progress, the Dragons Ridge facility in New Kent County (between Richmond and Williamsburg) may be facing some issues.

They may have 600 acres of rolling landscape and a plan. They may have a bling-bling website and money rolling in from potential members. They may have world-renowned developers and designers pushing big construction plans forward. But apparently what they DON'T have is zoning rights yet, or the support of the local community to go any further forward with the project!

This 3-minute story was about how the local neighborhoods are petitioning to keep the track from becoming a reality. They want to keep the zoning/permit process from continuing, to keep their neighborhood quiet and peaceful. This is not good.

Summit Point is/was going through a similar thing regarding the construction of their third track. I can't say that I disagree with their concept, because I don't. Nobody wants their own proverbial backyard violated by noise, traffic, and so on.

But in this case I do feel like a couple of things are being overlooked. Namely, what a facility like that could do for the local economy in a basically rural county whose only claim to fame thus far has been a mostly-failed horse racing track. Imagine this... so many people come to this place that you'll need to build gas stations, restaurants, and hotels to support them. Isn't that a good kind of problem?

I've stood on the side of a rural route 1 mile from VIR while pro roadracing is taking place on the other side of the hill. I couldn't hear a damn thing.

I've seen the traffic into and out of Summit Point on a busy morning via several two-lane roads. It was no worse than the road in front of my house during non-rush-hours.

The whole time I've thought just how many hotel rooms, tanks of gas, restaurant and bar visits, etc ... those "inconveniences" bring to their respective areas.

IMHO it all comes down to real estate. Ever notice how so many of the dedicated road courses are in the middle of nowhere? Cheap land, and you can make all the noise you want... or so it seems. Maybe those days are coming to an end???

Concerned,

Jon
who has been selfishly dreaming about a road course 30 minutes away
since the first rumors of this project presented themselves several years ago!

 

 

Community support will be essential. Iam a part of the San Francisco region SCCA. Our club owns and operates Thunder HIll raceway park. The club leadership had to gain community support. In fact the community was very supportive and happy. at the bottom of this page ( http://www.thunderhill.com/news.html )you can read about the history.

 

Dammit, they just showed it on the 11pm news also. Apparently all the Dragons Ridge protesting is taking place now... hoping to change the county's vote (presumably for the zoning change and/or further permits) in August.

Unfortunate,

Jon

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ITACivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Community support will be essential.</TD></TR></TABLE>


Great link! I concur 100%. I just wonder if these folks don't quite yet have an idea of what the place will really be like... it's not something that is easily explained or understood... the bottom line is, would they trade a bit of possible noise and traffic for new jobs and $$$ flowing into their local economy?

Jon

 

If nothing else, at least they're protesting NOW, not decades after the racetrack gets built. The people surrounding older facilities (like Summit Point) are the ones that irk me the most. When they bought that house "out in the country," the racetrack was already there.

I'm sure there are some who have been there since before the first car turned a wheel in anger, but I bet that's not the case for most of the residents.

 

I rode from Richmond to Colonial Williamsburg on back roads once, and if this is the same county as I think it is, they have lost their mind. Isn't that the county that is so poor there is not one single bank IN THE ENTIRE COUNTY??? If you want to go see your money, you'll have to drive 20 minutes to do it.

They need a reality check.

 

Oooo, another track nearby, Eh-xcellent *twiddling fingers*. I agree about the people moving in after some establishment has already been there for years, then they start to complain. What the hell is that about anyway, that seems...rude? I don't tolerate stupidity well, but I especially feel like smacking those fools upside the head.

Adam's new motto--&gt; Don't be a dumbass.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by krshultz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm sure there are some who have been there since before the first car turned a wheel in anger, but I bet that's not the case for most of the residents.</TD></TR></TABLE>


That's exactly what makes this situation different (and worse, IMHO.) That is, the people were there BEFORE the track was, so they have more "pull" with their community (in theory at least.)

NOT good... look what Summit Point went through in a possibly much less credible version of this same issue...

Jon

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MaddMatt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I rode from Richmond to Colonial Williamsburg on back roads once, and if this is the same county as I think it is, they have lost their mind. Isn't that the county that is so poor there is not one single bank IN THE ENTIRE COUNTY???</TD></TR></TABLE>


Most likely you took Route 5 on the other side of 64 from where this place will be, but it's the same idea, and that sounds about right. There's nothing there but farms and rural routes and the occasional quickie mart, but all of a sudden they don't want a sudden influx of people and $$$?

Confused,

Jon
who has always lived in cities... more than 5 minutes to a bank,
bookstore, restaurant, gas station, etc and I get pissed off lol

 

dammit!

 

All they need to do is go see Kershaw SC, or Milton NC to see what a track can do for a community. Both towns are in far better shape than they were in '99. When I first saw Milton before VIR re-opened, it was a ghost-town with a gas station. A rest stop between Danville and Hyco lake. Now, nearly evey older building in "downtown" is being renovated. They have antique shops now!!!

This hobby is expensive.
Those that participate in it generally aren't exactly hurting for cash.
They spend that cash when they visit the track.

Like I said, they need a reality check.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">288 didn't finally get going in the west end until the old guy died and his "landmark" was sold to people who didn't care about losing the back 40 to a highway.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's exactly why I-40 wasn't completed through my hometown of Hickory until the late 70s. I think Hickory has quintupled in size since then.

 

Here's the transcript of last night's news blurb:

http://www.wwbt.com/news/MGBZ47AVNHD.html


Jon

 

Liberty Bell Motorsports park http://www.libertybellmp.com is dealing with similar issues about 45 mintues west of Philly. They have the land, and all the details worked out, but the neighbors are all fighting it tooth and nail.


Matt

 

Don't forget a few years ago when Disney wanted to build a patriotic-themed park, America, near Haymarket off I-66. It seemed like a done deal, but never came off.

 

Ugh, Nutria are the worst. They have to be about the biggest rodent imaginable, and from what I hear, they also consume small pets. They make DC rats look like mice...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by speedracer33 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Liberty Bell Motorsports park http://www.libertybellmp.com is dealing with similar issues about 45 mintues west of Philly. They have the land, and all the details worked out, but the neighbors are all fighting it tooth and nail.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Damn... I have family that live 5 miles from Douglassville... that would be sweet. Never even heard news of that track until now.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Apocalypse &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Damn... I have family that live 5 miles from Douglassville... that would be sweet. Never even heard news of that track until now. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Apparently if you go up to that area, half the houses have signs in front that say "no track" and the other half have signs that say "yes track". I know about the project because I know the guy who is behind it. He is the owner of all of those cars on the "showroom" link on the site. He actually offered me a job working on that project, until he found out that I have an MBA, and he decided that he can't afford me. LOL!

Matt

 

I drove through Douglassville around Easter time and didn't notice... perhaps we should "borrow" all the no track signs.