Pacific Raceways in the news (and not in a good way)

It's always amazed me how folks can purchase a home near a track, or an airport, or a shopping mall and then b*tch and complain about all the nuances those types of facilities present. Expansion of Pacific Raceways is a good thing, as
an updated facility will further help the entire area's economic well being.
 
This is a $$ battle over a trifle in wording that Mr. F might have known could bite him in the 'A' later.

"Mega-mall"?? How did that get read into it?

Although, I can see the concern of the strip malls there in Covington if suddenly a bunch of competition showed up one exit closer to the I-5 corridor. Ain't politics fun?
 
If not for the track, I would never have had a reason to go to Covington. Instead, I've bought gas, food, and auto parts there on more than one occasion. But, you know, some whiny homeowners who bought a house right next to an existing race track... yeah, their rights are more important than those of the customers, employees, and owners of businesses in their area (including the track and ProFormance).
 
One only has to look at the old Riverside Raceway to see another track that outgrew it's welcome. I'm sure what the County will really look at long term is what Use will generate the most taxes to it's benefit. Both in property taxes, B&O taxes, sales tax, etc.

I can't imagine that scenario would be a race track with many noise and use restrictions in place unless a healthy dose of "Industrial Park" is put in the mix to bolster the tax base.
 
Lance Richert said:
One only has to look at the old Riverside Raceway to see another track that outgrew it's welcome......
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Yes and in recent years Riverside has realized they lost a LOT of international recognition along with the lose of that track. They've been trying to figure out how to build a new one but as usual, a lotta hastles to even get it started.


I raced Riverside. Nothing really special about it. Guess T-6 was the 'signature turn' and a MASSIVE at full tilt back straight.

But when you were on it, you knew the 'greats' of road racing had gone before you and would be back next month! :)
 
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Sounds like Pacific really needs a "Friends of Pacific" like the "Friends of PIR". It needs to be shown that the number of people using/supporting the track far outnumbers the people who blindly bought homes next to a racetrack expecting only chirping birds and crickets...

The antagonists need to see the benefits of having a place for people (especially young, aggressive drivers) to do their fast driving in a safe place rather than on the streets. Hence, keeping events like the Proformance school (teaching safe driving skills) and the club days are very beneficial.

The complaints about a 20-car school event--using street legal cars-- on Monday and Tuesday, sounds alot like the complaints at Portland about the excessive noise neighbors were experiencing during a BICYCLE race! Really??
 
I got a list of the politicians in the area from another site and sent in a nice email to each
describing how I support PR and the businesses in the area.

One area that I think PR can work on is noise limits.
Our track cars have noise limits, but in reading the PR Drag rules sheet I don't see one for them.
When I last spent the night in the RV there, the sound was getting a bit old as the drags run until 11:00PM.
I think PR can help drown out the critics by setting a db limit on some of these cars.
Other tracks in the country have done it.
I understand the drag crowd may not like it, but airplanes are now quieter, we are now quieter, so it only makes sense to implement a db limit.
There would be exceptions, as the excitement in a AA fueler is the exhaust.
 
Bossbill said:
.......When I last spent the night in the RV there, the sound was getting a bit old as the drags run until 11:00PM. I think PR can help drown out the critics by setting a db limit on some of these cars....
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Portland does it.. noisey cars early evening with an ever DEcreasing noise limit as the evening goes on. About 10 or 10:30 they are down to street legal exhausts only.
 
Richard Broadhead said:
Portland does it.. noisey cars early evening with an ever DEcreasing noise limit as the evening goes on. About 10 or 10:30 they are down to street legal exhausts only.
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Actually, PIR shuts down drag racing completely at 10 PM. That is why Cascade and Oregon Region have a 5 pm drop dead time.
 
Correct, there are no drags on Sunday, but it is still only by the good graces of the PIR mgmt, or on Fri/Sat the organizer of the drags is CSCC allowed any over time. Doernbecher is one of those kind of events that PIR will work with Cascade pretty closely too.

AND they don't cross our track or make nuisances of themselves otherwise when they arrive. They actually make themselves very easy to work with when you keep them informed of any situations.
 
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It is my understanding that a large contingent of these neighbors comes from the Washington General golf club across the valley. They don't like the noise and probably thought they were far enough away from the track not to be disturbed by that noise when they purchased their homes. Unfortunately that little community is inhabited by monied folks, including plenty of attorneys, so this will be an uphill battle for Jason.
 
To clear up a couple things:

The golf course development is Washington National and is the home course of the U of W - one more reason for me to hate the "show up in the second quarter with $1000 dollars in branded merchandise and a portable tv then leave in the third quarter of a tie game to beat the traffic" Husky Alumi (Go Cougs!) <just having a little fun, don't get your purple and gold panties in a wad!>

I agree with the earlier poster - according to the sources that I have talked to there is ONE original resident in the sound impact zone who lived there before the track was there. That is the only person who has a legitimate right to complain about the noise. The idea of moving in next to a racetrack and then expecting them to cease operation becasue they discovered they don't like living next to a racetrack is ridiculous. At what point do I get to insist everyone stays home during rush hour because I don't like traffic?
 
Unfortunately the courts don't think like racers Rick, nor do they care who was there first. It is all about perspective, and money, and noise, and ...well, illogical decisions by judges who have no idea of the history of that track and do not care.
 
I have not weighed in on this thread for probably obvious reasons, but we would like it to be known that the actions taken against PR are patently unfair. I have been attending races there since I was 13 years old (that would be 36 years running) and I agree with everyone's observations that if you make a choice to live next to a racetrack, you make a choice to live with that activity.

Sadly, our country has a long, rich history in shutting down not only racetracks, but gravel mining, manufacturing, transportation hubs, etc., due to intrusion of residential properties. Regional airports have suffered from this so greatly that they finally passed a federal regulation, now kicked down to the state and local level, that creates an airport overlay district. You move into an overlay, tough ****, your regulated
out of complaining. I think Jason made an attempt to do this and was shot down right out of the box. More info here on airport overlays: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/Planning/default.htm

So, for the record, as a group that wants to be a large part of the the racing community, The Ridge Motorsports Group finds these actions, and activities, unconscionable by the neighbors and we will help, if
asked, in any way possible.

We row together or drown separately.

RP
 
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