ATTN Motorsport Enthusiasts, NEW Raceway coming to Spotsylvania

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Hey I know it's last minute but if you see this get the word out. There will be a public hearing today at 6pm in Fredericksburg.

http://www.facebook.com/DominionRaceway
http://www.twitter.com/DominionRaceway

Copypasta from The Freelance Star...

The owner of a stock-car and drag-racing facility near Manassas plans to relocate the complex to a 160-acre site just off Interstate 95 in Thornburg.

Steve Britt, principal owner of the Old Dominion Speedway, is under contract to purchase land just north of Mudd Tavern Road from a man who lives outside the Fredericksburg area. The sale is contingent on various government approvals, including a rezoning and special-use permit from Spotsylvania County.

The new facility will be called the Dominion Raceway and will be easily visible from I95. The main entrance will be off Mudd Tavern Road near the northbound ramp onto 95.

Britt wants to create a racing-focused entertainment complex that could also be used year-round for festivals, karting, collector car auctions, drive-in movies and other special events. Though he hasnt spoken with a local group pursuing a minor league baseball stadium, he thinks that could be part of it.


The proposed site is north of Mudd Tavern Road and east of Interstate 95.
Old Dominion has been in its current site in Manassas for more than 60 years, but is now hemmed in by residential development. That has led to frequent noise complaints from neighbors, which convinced Britt to search for new locations along 95 between Stafford County and Richmond.

He has spent much of the past two years looking at sites, including some in both Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. He said he ultimately selected the Thornburg property for a variety of reasons, foremost among them the interstate and a lack of dense residential development nearby.

The interstate provides easy access to many thousands of race fans and high visibility to passersby, and generates a lot of noise of its own. The site is also bordered by the Po River and a more than 400-acre wooded property that is under conservation easement.

The land is in an area targeted for commercial growth and already has nearby hotels. And its reasonably close to Lake Anna.

The centerpiece of the planned Dominion Raceway is an oval track that will be four-tenths of a mile and attract up-and-coming racers looking to advance to the NASCAR ranks.

An adjacent grandstand will seat 3,500 people. There will be a three-level building featuring office space for Dominion employees, a food and retail area, and suites that companies or individuals can lease.

Britt plans to sell naming rights to the complex and other corporate sponsorships. He wants to make the facility as interactive as possible for fans and plans to include a Jumbotron screen.

The complex will also have a drag-racing strip, and a two-mile road course that auto enthusiasts could use. There will be a large area for parking and festivals.

Near the entrance will be pad sites for commercial uses such as restaurants, gas stations and automotive dealerships.

Britt estimates it will cost $10 million to $12 million to buy the land, develop the site and build the racing complex. He will have partners in the development and is interested in talking to investors.

About 15 people would work at the Dominion Raceway full-time, and another 60 to 100 people would staff events. Britt isnt asking for public incentives, but has requested that Spotsylvania officials expedite the approval process.

Last week he was in front of Spotsylvanias Economic Development Authority in closed session to discuss the project. Britts attorney, Charlie Payne of the Hirschler Fleischer law firm, plans to file the rezoning application in a month.

A quick approval would allow Britt to open the facility in time for the 2014 racing season. He is under contract to sell the 40 acres where the Old Dominion Speedway is currently located to a home-builder this coming April and wants to start developing the Spotsylvania facility soon thereafter. The typical season runs March through October.

Britt says he wont pursue another location for his raceway if the Thornburg site doesnt secure the various government approvals. Hes looked up and down the 95 corridor and thinks he has found the perfect spot.

Its as good as it gets, Britt said of the site. This is where it needs to be.
 
Wonder how long the strip will be, hopefully 1/4 mile so that I can actually drive there. All there are is 1/8 mile tracks
 
That seems to be the big request right now. I'm sure as long as they can clear all the zoning and uncooperative neighbor issues they will go 1/4m.
 
I am really hoping that these public hearing can show how many people really want this track to come to the area. The supporters far outnumber the NINE members of the opposing coalition.

http://news.fredericksburg.com/spots...ing-scheduled/

The proposed Dominion Raceway is hoping to pave the way for its approval at a Spotsylvania County Planning Commission public hearing at 7 p.m. March 6 in the Holbert Building, 9104 Courthouse Road.
The Planning Commission will consider amendments to the county’s development plan being requested by the raceway.
Raceway developer Steve Britt hopes to open the facility in spring 2014 on 160 acres at the northeast corner of the Thornburg exit off Interstate 95.
But the county’s 2008 Comprehensive Plan defines that property—in the Jackson Gateway Development District—as an “employment center.” The raceway is seeking to have that designation changed to “commercial.” An “employment center” has commercial, industrial and office space—but the commercial component is supposed to be secondary, according to the Comp Plan.
The plan states: “It is important that there be a balance between the different land uses with one supporting the others. This is particularly important in the Jackson Gateway where the commercial development is intended to support the office and industrial development.”
The Coalition to Preserve the Thornburg Countryside—which was formed last year to oppose the raceway—points out the raceway’s incompatibility with the Comp Plan on its website, stoptheraceway.com. The group urged residents to “demand” that the raceway apply for a Comp Plan amendment.
Fredericksburg attorney Charlie Payne, who is representing the raceway, said the developer is asking the county to “slightly revise” the 2008 plan “to reflect the highest and best use for our site, especially since it is located just at or near the Interstate exit.”
He said the county isn’t legally obligated to follow the Comp Plan because it is a guide, not a zoning ordinance. “We have only applied to clarify that much has changed since [2008], and the best use for this site is commercial entertainment, which will help serve the other commercial uses on our immediate west side of I–95 and south of our site,” he wrote in an email.
The raceway in January applied for a rezoning and special-use permit to locate in Thornburg. The Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors have not yet scheduled public hearings for those requests.
 
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