Planning Commission Tables Decision on Corvette Museum’s Motorsports Park Development Plan

By
Mitch Talley
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Nearly four hours of debate at a hearing Thursday apparently settled nothing in the ongoing noise dispute between the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park and the nearby Clark Circle neighborhood.

After listening to testimony from both sides, the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County ultimately voted unanimously to table the matter – to get even more information.

The NCM had come to the meeting hoping to receive approval of an amended version of its detailed development plan for the Motorsports Park.

“We think we have a revised detailed development plan that we think addresses all the noise and brings us into compliance,” said Wendell Strode, NCM executive director.

In the end, though, the planning commission listened to the pleas of Chris Davenport, the attorney who represents Residents Against Motorsports Track Noise LLC, who wanted the issue tabled because he says the NCM’s evidence showing it was in compliance with noise levels was based on faulty or misleading information.

“They have not suggested to you a lack of substantial increase in surrounding properties,” Davenport said. “They have suggested some seven adjacent properties out of the 50-some I represent.”

He was referring to evidence presented on behalf of the NCM from Bill Bowlby of Bowlby & Associates, Inc., a noise analysis consulting firm that concluded noise levels were mostly small increases falling short of the Federal Highway Administration’s definition of substantial increases of 10 to 15 decibels.

After listening to Bowlby’s testimony, however, Davenport claimed that buildings, fence, and a berm set up by the NCM to cut the noise actually protect adjacent properties better than properties farther away from the track, due to a phenomenon called acoustic shadow.


There was some good news for the park, though, as many people showed up to support the NCM and its amendment to the detailed development plan, including self-described “car guy” Richard Collins.

Collins said he has driven at many tracks similar to the NCM’s across the nation and had never heard of a disagreement between the park and nearby residents getting this heated. He said it was “absolutely not necessary” to get lawyers involved in the dispute, adding “there’s no reason these neighbors can’t come to a compromise with the people who know the business.”

In fact, a story in the Bowling Green Daily News about the hearing said “most” of the speakers in the public comment section spoke in favor of the park.


Source:
Bowling Green Daily News

Related:
Corvette Museum Offers Additional “One Acre Club” Sponsorships for the Motorsports Park
Sign the Petition to Support the Corvette Museum’s Motorsport Park
NCM Motorsports Park Submits New Noise Plan to Bowling Green’s Planning Commission

 



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