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Planning Commission debates expanded hours, event caps and noise rules for Shenandoah Speedway amendment
Summary
Commissioners spent extensive time debating a proposed amendment to Shenandoah Speedway's 2007 and 2011 special-use permits. Major unresolved issues include whether to use Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) "sound budget" monitoring versus short-duration dBA thresholds, how to count multi-day events toward annual caps, and whether to allow expanded hours or year-round operation.
The Page County Planning Commission spent much of its June 9 meeting grappling with a proposed amendment to existing special-use permits for Shenandoah Speedway that would modify hours, the number of events and noise standards.
Staff presented a comparison chart of the 2007 and 2011 SUPs and the applicant’s requested changes, and flagged unresolved technical questions about how noise should be measured and enforced. Planner Cassie Richards said the compilation included proposed new language discussed with the County Attorney, but commissioners repeatedly asked for an expert noise analysis and clearer articulation of which historical study or memorandum should set the benchmark.
“Right now we don’t have the budget number,” Commissioner Ken Johnson said, describing Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) as an annual “sound budget” that would let an operator manage a season’s worth of events within a single yearly limit. Several commissioners said they preferred a DNL approach in concept but said the commission must first agree on a specific benchmark to enforce. Commissioner Catherine Grech said she needs an expert explanation of how DNL relates to instantaneous decibel readings cited by neighbors (for example, a cited measurement of 88.4 dB taken by a sheriff’s deputy on Sept. 30, 2023).
Neighbors and frequent meeting participants asserted enforcement gaps and health impacts during earlier public comments. Neighbor Darwin Hurst summarized prior noise readings and enforcement attempts and urged stricter compliance with older conditions. Supporters including Will Smith and operator advocates urged flexible event counts and pointed to attendance and economic activity at comparable Virginia tracks; Smith cited an attendance estimate of roughly 17,000 people per year at the Speedway and said comparable tracks set vehicle pass-by or parking-lot metrics.
Commissioners also debated event-count and season limits. Staff’s interpretation counts multiple events occurring on the same calendar day as a single “event day” for accounting; some commissioners disagreed with that approach and asked for an explicit definition. The commission discussed whether to restrict racing to an April–October season (as earlier memoranda had indicated) or allow year-round activities if DNL and other conditions are met. Lighting limits, including the existing 0.5 foot-candle property-line standard, were also raised; staff said the County Attorney is reviewing whether SUP conditions can be stricter than the zoning ordinance in specific instances.
No final amendment vote was taken. Commissioners directed staff to seek additional technical noise analysis, clarify event-counting and season definitions, and provide missing documents from the record. That information will be required before the commission moves toward a recommendation.
