Bad news for AZ Motorsports Park

[mikiec]

This was posted on FFCobra.com....


Next, bad news from ASRA. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has shut down Arizona Motorsports Park.

This article is reproduced from the Arizona Republic, January 22, 2004

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors ordered the closure of a controversial West Valley racetrack Wednesday, saying track officials misled the county when they obtained an operating permit in 2001.

"I was under the clear understanding . . . that this was going to be a non-commercial track," said Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, D-District 5 of Phoenix. "I feel I wasn't told the truth."

It was a surprise victory for opponents of the Arizona Motorsports Park near Camelback and Reems roads west of Litchfield Park. More than 100 residents who have been complaining about track noise broke into raucous applause
Wednesday after the board's unanimous vote to yank the operating permit.


But to the owners of the $6.5 million facility, the board's action was a "Draconian" step that will likely spark a lawsuit.

"There are clearly some very significant legal ramifications to this,"
said Scott Rose, attorney for track owner Dan Maloney. "They put my client in a position of having to look at all his legal remedies. He has a $6.5 million investment in this property. He isn't just going to walk away from it."

The Board of Supervisors approved the track's permit in 2001. But when it opened for business last spring with a Sports Car Club of America racing event, residents immediately began complaining about the noise of revving engines on the 2-mile course just south of Luke Air Force Base.

"There has been no evidence whatsoever that the noise level has been reduced," said Goodyear resident Sanford Hertz. "We have to put up with this and it's totally unnecessary."

Opposition grew more intense when a resident obtained a videotape of the 2001 Board of Supervisors meeting, during which a track official claimed the facility would be a non-commercial venue with only street-legal cars like passenger vehicles raced by Maloney. That tape was played for the board
on Wednesday.

Rose said the comment was an "unfortunate" remark, but said Maloney's permit application made it clear that up to 200 people could be at the track, along with off-duty police officers for security.

"The intent was clear," Rose said.

But supervisors said Wednesday they didn't like being misled by a track official, regardless of what the permit application said.

"Anybody who stands at that podium, we count very heavily what they say," said Supervisor Max Wilson, R-District 4 of Litchfield Park.

Supervisor Don Stapley, R-District 2 of Scottsdale, said he never would havevoted in favor of the track if he knew it would be hosting large-scale events with modified race cars.

The assurance of street-legal vehicles "was, in fact, the deciding issue in my mind," Stapley said.

Although he is pondering legal action, Maloney can also apply for a new permit from the county.

William Perkins of the Audi Club of North America said the effort would be worth it.

"This is one of the best tracks I have been on for the purposes of
safety," Perkins said. "It's a wonderful facility, and it does draw people."