Topic: Sonoma Raceway proposes multi-day music festival, other permit revisions

Raceway explains use permit changes

 By Steve Page

Last week, I appeared before the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission to outline the proposed revisions to Sonoma Raceway’s county use permit.  The change that has garnered the most attention would allow for a multi-day music festival on the raceway grounds, one weekend per year.  We are very excited about the event and the terrific entertainment and economic possibilities it could offer for Valley residents.

Before going into the details of our proposal, some historical perspective: the raceway last applied for a major use permit change in 1997 when we proposed the master plan for a major facility modernization.  At the time, there were few restrictions on the track’s operations and activities.  In fact, the entire use permit was only a page and a half long.  After a four-year process that included two environmental impact reports and more than 20 public hearings, we received approval for the new raceway master plan, and with it came a new use permit and 54 pages of operating conditions that govern everything from noise, attendance, traffic management, hours of operation, types of activities, public safety, water and sewer management and the maintenance of wetland and endangered species habitat.

Today that use permit represents a specific snapshot of the activities at then-Sears Point Raceway nearly two decades ago.  It provides little flexibility to adapt to changes in our industry, variations in consumer demand or the shifting opportunities that any business faces over time.

About 18 months ago, we were approached by a locally-based group that proposed a concept for a branded multi-day music event to be staged at a number of tracks owned by our parent company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc.  The business model was compelling, the group was headed by people we knew and trusted and their investor backing was solid.  Early last year we finalized an agreement that will bring this festival concept to five tracks around the U.S., including Sonoma, contingent on securing a change in our operating permit.

Though it is part of a series, the festival in Sonoma will be a Sonoma festival, with a mix of musical acts that reflects local tastes and emerging local talent, vendors and food & beverage from local providers, commercial opportunities for local businesses, programs to showcase local arts and culture, employment opportunities for locals, and fundraising opportunities for local nonprofits.  In fact, one of the specific provisions of our contract is that a percentage of each festival’s gross revenues, no less than $200,000, will be donated directly to youth-serving nonprofit organizations in our county through Speedway Children’s Charities.

Our application to the county includes changes to our use permit that would allow for this festival, including adjustments to our attendance limits, the net effect of which would be four major event weekends rather than the three we currently host.  There are other revisions that would include adjustments to some hours of operations, the addition of lights to our karting track and the ability to host small community and corporate hospitality events unrelated to racing.  There is not space here to list all the specifics, but we would be happy to provide a copy of our full application if you contact the raceway offices.

In the coming months, our application will be the subject of a detailed study by an outside consultant, the results of which will be contained in an Environmental Impact Report detailing the potential effects of our proposed changes and recommending measures to mitigate any negative impacts.  There will be multiple opportunities for the public to take part and voice and comments or concerns.

We hope and believe our proposed music festival will present an exciting new attraction for locals to enjoy in their own backyard.  But we are also acutely aware that for many people in this community who do not attend our races and would not attend the festival, this will be seen as one additional weekend when the track is a source of inconvenience and annoyance.  Though we cannot stage an event of this scale without causing some disruption, we will strive, as we always do to find ways for the larger economic impact of our events to flow into the local business and visitor-serving communities and to leverage activities at the track to support community initiatives and local nonprofits.

 Steve Page is the president & general manager of Sonoma Raceway

 
Raceway red flag or green vision?

By Teri Shore

The NASCAR billionaires who own the rural raceway at the gateway to Sonoma Valley are seeking to permanently convert use of the land from a motorsports venue to a supersized special event and entertainment center. The proposal goes far beyond adding a music festival to the racing calendar.

The proposal is historic and precedent setting as it would significantly and forever change the use and impacts of the raceway lands. The property is a scenic, open space and farmland resource adjacent to wetlands and upland habitat where millions of state and federal dollars have been spent to restore and protect an expansive greenbelt for future generations.

Speedway Motorsports based in North Carolina is seeking a major General Plan Amendment and Use Permit conversion to increase and expand the use of, and attendance at, the raceway facilities to include large multi-day music events, more race events, new non-race related events, a wine tasting rooms and other activities. They want to lift many of the existing limits on noise, attendance and activities.

The giant music event alone would be like bringing the Burning Man Festival to town by allowing as many as 220,000 attendees over four days.  The proposed maximum annual allowable attendance for all raceway events totals about 850,000, far above the actual 200,000 or less that attended major racing events each year over the past five years.

While some local businesses and individuals may benefit financially from such a big project, most of us won’t. In fact, many businesses say they suffer during big race events and, of course, traffic gets snarled for miles in all directions.

Because the size and scope of the proposal is inconsistent with the Sonoma County General Plan, it will require full environmental impact report and a lengthy public process.

Since the last expansion of the raceway, Sonoma County has adopted significant new sustainability policies including specific goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase use of clean energy, conserve water and manage groundwater, reduce waste, permanently protect open space and farmlands, among many other green initiatives.

Speedway Sonoma LLC has adopted a number of responsible initiatives, such as installing a solar array to provide on-site electricity, reducing water use, planting an organic garden, recycling and utilizing sheep to mow the vegetation in the developed areas.

With all this in mind, now seems the perfect time to plan to transition the raceway entirely away from motorized sports. Why not move away from any operations that generate significant air and greenhouse gas emissions, water use, waste, emissions, noise, light, disturbance and congestion.

A music and event venue that is scaled in size and scope to fit in with the rural character and community profile of the Sonoma Valley may be good way to begin the transition away from extreme car racing.

Of course, many other low-impact, green-friendly events and use could also be part of the mix. What about bicycle racing? Electric vehicle rallies? Demonstration farms for heirloom food production? Perhaps, we transform the raceway entirely to open space with public access and trails that connect to the other trail systems being built in the Bay Area.

As a first step, if the raceway is allowed to change use, then for each new music or other event, a racing event of equal size or impact must be phased out.

The County of Sonoma is currently reviewing policies and regulations related to event centers and over-concentration in rural areas including Sonoma Valley.  Any decisions on the raceway project should be held until the county completes its review.

Ultimately, the community could assist the raceway management and the community in developing a long-range plan to transition the raceway into a fully sustainable facility that provides a wide range of community benefits and projects and lead the way to a clean, green Sonoma Valley.

Teri Shore is a 25-year resident of Sonoma Valley who cares deeply about the health of the community, environment and economy.

Where do you stand? Send comments to letters@sonomasun