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Page County planners begin rewrite of Shenandoah Speedway special-use permit after hours of public testimony
Summary
After hours of testimony from neighbors and supporters, Page County planning staff and the commission began redrafting a consolidated special-use permit for Shenandoah Speedway that would combine two prior permits, tighten enforceable conditions and address noise monitoring, event limits and mitigation.
The Page County Planning Commission opened a multi-hour review of a special-use permit (SUP) amendment for Shenandoah Speedway Properties LC, which seeks to consolidate earlier permits for an oval track and a motocross area into a single motorsports SUP for tax map 96-A-4. Staff described the parcel (about 80.11 acres), current allowances, and a starting noise condition that ‘‘noise shall not exceed 80 dBA when measured from any adjoining property line’’ with ‘‘exceeding’’ defined as a sustained 10-second period.
Staff warned commissioners that the draft language is a starting point and encouraged careful consideration of conditions to make them enforceable. Jeff Vaughn, the applicant identified in staff materials, described the facility as an economic and community asset and acknowledged noise as the ‘‘greatest challenge’’ while asking for amendments to reflect drifting and additional event types. ‘‘It’s a racetrack,’’ Vaughn said, ‘‘and I’m ears wide open to do what we can do to be the best neighbor we can as a racetrack owner.’’
The meeting record shows intense, divided public testimony: neighbors documented decades of disturbance, cigarette and tire smoke drifting into homes, and instances where they measured levels above those in the current permit; others, including promoters and regular attendees, emphasized youth programs, economic benefits and family-oriented events. Karen Folsom told the Commission the proposed increase in allowable noise ‘‘from 80 decibels to 90 decibels . . . represents a significant escalation’’ and said the draft amendment conflicts with the county comprehensive plan’s goals to preserve rural character.
Commissioners and legal counsel focused the discussion on how to write enforceable conditions rather than reopen whether the track may operate at all. County attorney Mr. Helm and staff recommended drafting clear definitions, specifying measurement methodology, and assigning monitoring and record-keeping responsibilities to the operator. Commissioners asked staff to draft concrete language on duration, monitoring locations and calibration standards, muffler rules and penalties before the next meeting.
The commission voted to table the SUP amendment for further drafting and returned multiple homework items to staff and the applicant, including producing a violation history and developing proposed language for monitoring, muffler requirements, and event-day accounting. The item will be reconsidered after staff and legal refine enforceable conditions.
