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New
Paltz Brakes on Raceway
DAILY FEEMAN August 26,2001 By Ariel Zangla, Correspondent
NEW PALTZ - The Village Board will send a letter to the town of Lloyd Zoning Board of Appeals expressing concern about a proposed project to build a 2.24-mile racetrack on the old Altamont Farm off North Road.
Mark Reynolds, a member of a citizens group opposed to the project, asked the Village Board during its meeting last Wednesday night to write a letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals saying it has concerns about the volume of traffic the proposed racetrack will create. Reynolds said if the racetrack is built, visitors would come by way of the New York State Thruway and by U.S. Route 9W. Traffic would be immense, he added.
Reynolds said the number of visitors expected during the 32 weeks of the year when the track, to be known as the Hudson Valley Motorsports County Club, would be in use would greatly affect New Paltz. The impact would be felt even more during the times when New Paltz was hosting special events of its own, he added. Reynolds also said the track would be open seven days a week and would also host a number of large special events, drawing even more visitors.
The proposed project calls for a private, for-profit racing club for muffled and unmuffled vehicles, according to Reynolds. He said the developer behind the project, KC Motorsports, says it is going to be a kind of gentleman's club when, in fact, it is a sports club.
Reynolds said the developer, who reportedly purchased the 500-plus-acre property for $1 million, has been misleading residents by trying to convince them the project will not have a negative effect on them.
Representatives for the proposed racetrack have said the noise level will not exceed Lloyd's limit of 60 decibels. They have also said limited excavation of the property will be done and the apple orchards will remain to block the view and the sound. Representatives have also said the track will bring increased business to the town.
Reynolds and his citizens group, the Lloyd Development Association, are currently challenging the Lloyd Zoning Board of Appeals, saying a decision made by the building inspector to grant a special-use permit for the project was based on an improper reading of town law. Reynolds said the project should not have been allowed in a residential area, especially with houses being so close to where the track will go.
A decision will be made Sept. 5 as to whether the special-use permit was granted properly, Reynolds said. A letter from the Village Board would alert the Zoning Board of Appeals that its neighbors are concerned, he added.
Trustee Ruth Elwell said the board could not argue about the noise problem but could express concerns about the traffic. She said she would draft a letter from the board to the Lloyd Zoning Board of Appeals.
READER COMMENTS
Beware of anyone proposing a racetrack as good for the area, and good for business.
These were the arguments given for the Accord Speedway. Residents can hear the
track miles away. Property has been devalued. Very few people have made any
money besides the racetrack ownership. The decibels get higher and higher, and
the curfew gets later and later. The negatives outweigh the positives three
fold. Don't let it happen in your neighborhood. You will regret it. Alan
The people who impede progress are usually the ones that want the government to pay for special projects they want. The race track will bring new jobs, and tax money for the city. Build it. Phil