Board OKs racetrack code change
SANDPOINT — Racetracks will be conditionally allowed in more of Bonner County’s agriculture and forestry zoning districts.
The county commission approved a land use code amendment Wednesday to permit motorcycle and other types of racetracks in Agriculture/Forestry zones with 20-acre minimums. Such uses are already permitted in A/F zones with 10-acre minimums.
Racetrack developers petitioned the county for the code change to broaden the pool of properties which could be utilized for such development.
“It provides even more opportunities than A/F-10s,” said Lisa Ailport, a land use planner retained by the developers to shepherd the code-change proposal.
Nobody testified during the public hearing, although one Bonner County landowner strongly urged the commission in a letter to deny the proposal because it was incongruous with comprehensive land use plan goal to protect prime agricultural and forestry lands in the county.
“There is absolutely nothing about a racetrack that supports agricultural pursuits. They are disruptive with their noise and their destruction of farmland by radically altering the natural topography of a tract of land,” Tricia Dickens said in the letter of opposition.
A Planning & Zoning Commission advised against the code change in 2009 in order to retain rural ambiance and protect larger tracts for agricultural and forestry.
But county commissioners set aside the recommendation and cited other comprehensive plan goals which include fostering property rights, economic development and recreational opportunities.
Under the code change, racetracks have to be at least 1,000 feet from Suburban zoning district on tracts no smaller than 20 acres. Permit applicants will be required to address fugitive dust, noise abatement, traffic control, crowd control, hours of operation and hazardous material spill protocols.
The board considered requiring racetracks in A/F-20s to be located within the boundaries of a fire protection district, but opted against that requirement because fire districts tend to envelope residential development.
“It puts it closer (to residential development) by putting it in a fire district,” said Commissioner Mike Nielsen.
Commission Chairman Lewis Rich agreed and the board instead opted to require fire and emergency services to be on the premises during events.
Commissioner Cornel Rasor said racetrack development would displace ag lands rather than destroy them.
“It’s pretty simple to restore that to agriculture,” said Rasor.
Planning Director Clare Marley said there are no pending conditional use permit applications for racetracks. The code change roughly triples the amount of lands on which a racetrack could be conditionally permitted, she said.