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Atwater city council test drives plans for a motor sports park
Published: Wednesday, August 6th, 2003
By MIKE CONWAY
BEE STAFF WRITER
ATWATER -- A 1,200-acre motor sports park with eight different tracks got mixed
reviews from the Atwater council members who liked the basic idea, but worried
about traffic.
'I like your plan and proposal,' Councilman Ed Abercrombie told representatives
of Riverside Motorsports Park. 'But I want to see it further along address
traffic issues, because that will be a headache from Day One.'
Riverside representatives unveiled their plans during a special meeting of the
City Council on Tuesday afternoon. The council took no action, but offered many
opinions.
The raceway is proposed for an area of land northeast of Castle Airport
Aviation and Development Center with entrances on Buhach, Fox and Eucalyptus
roads.
The park would have a 1/2-mile oval speedway, a 5,000-foot drag strip, paved
and dirt oval tracks, a 3-mile road course, motocross, go-kart and off-road
circuits. The raceway could handle BMX bike races, trucks, stock cars,
dragsters and motorcycles.
'We look at this as a regional recreational center, not a motor sports park,'
said John Condren, Riverside's chief executive officer.
Condren said the park could hold concerts on weekdays, and would draw people
with its restaurants, an automotive-themed retail center and children's play
park.
Investors already have put $10 million into the project over the past three
years, Condren said, and own the land for the proposed park. He said when
completed, the project would cost 'in excess of $100 million.'
The plans call for races every weekend during the season that typically runs
from February through November. Those races are expected to draw 15,000 to
20,000 people. Once a month, the track wants to host a larger event, attracting
close to 50,000 spectators.
Condren said the developers don't have any contract with NASCAR, the National
Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, but that could come. There are other
racing associations to use the tracks.
'One of the biggest problems is 50,000 people,' Abercrombie said. 'No road can
handle that traffic.'
Condren said his organization realizes that traffic will be a main point of
concern. He said holding several events at once and staggering the end of
racing times would move cars out of the park evenly.
Condren said he believes the group can get through the environmental review
process by February or March and begin construction sometime in spring.
'We've already determined there are no biological issues, no endangered
species, no Indian burial grounds,' he said. The land has been farmed for
decades and would need to be rezoned by the county from its ag designation.
'I'm concerned about taking the land out of production,' said Councilwoman Jean
Faul. 'This is a major thing for us to approve, and I have reservations. Shoot,
we have traffic problems now.'
Councilman Gary Frago said: 'I'm not convinced about your traffic survey. You
have not said how you will get traffic in and out.'
He said the city can't build more hotels and restaurants for the weekend
crowds. 'We have no place to build.
'I don't see Atwater benefiting that much on tax revenue,' Frago said. That
benefit would go to surrounding communities.
'It's our little town, and we're happy with it and we want to do everything we
can to improve it,' Mayor Rudy Trevino said. 'We want nothing to destroy the
serenity of our little Norman Rockwell village.'
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