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View Full Version : ATC makes final appeal of Eldred racetrack



SavageLlama
11-10-2004, 10:26
Not looking good for the ATC...


Opponents appeal final Eldred approval for race car track

** Lawsuit is second filed after supervisors OK plans for Alpine Rose.

By Chris Parker
The Allentown Morning Call (http://javascript<b></b>:NewWindow(%20'FIISrcDetails','?from=article&ids=xall');void(0);)
November 9, 2004
Opponents of a driving course for high performance sports cars in Eldred Township have appealed township supervisors' approval of final plans for the course in Monroe County Court.

The Appalachian Trail Conference and the Blue Mountain Preservation Association filed the appeal Thursday, said association member Judith E. Rush.

Supervisors approved the final plan, with conditions, Oct. 5.

"Approval of the final development plan, even with conditions, is contrary to the township's affirmative duty under the state constitution and the Pennsylvania Appalachian Trail Act to protect the Appalachian Trail's "natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values,"' Rush said in a prepared statement.

The approval came with multiple conditions, including that noise generated by the course not be more than 5 decibels above ambient sound.

Rush said trail conference sound experts "showed in 2003 that the potential noise from the resort would have far greater impact on the experience of hiking the trail (not to mention living nearby) than the developer asserted."

Opponents are awaiting a ruling from Commonwealth Court in Philadelphia on their appeal of supervisors' October 2003 preliminary plan approval for the $14 million, 360-acre Alpine Rose resort and driving course.

Monroe County Court in February upheld the approval.

Oral arguments on the issue were heard last Tuesday by a panel of judges.

Attorney Charles Elliott argued that the site is a rural-residential area and the township has a duty under the Appalachian Trail Act to protect and preserve the trail and its surroundings.

Environmentalists say the proposed site is too close to the Appalachian Trail, and residents have expressed worries about the potential noise generated by automobiles, both on the track and driving through the township.

The driving course is being developed by Richard Muller Jr. of Berks County.

The Solemates
11-10-2004, 10:51
Where exactly is this race course proposed to be located? Ive read a lot about it, but still cannot place it in my mind.

Also, there is already an existing race course near/on the AT. Im not sure where it was, but I remember walking by while a race was going on.

Do the two have a connection?

cshir003
11-10-2004, 11:17
makes me wonder what the concequences are for having noise over 5 decibles above ambient sound. would they make them rebuild the track or just say the same thing again next time?

Jack Tarlin
11-10-2004, 13:46
Solemates:

You're thinking of the Lime Rock racetrack, in Lakeville, Connecticut.

And you're right; the noise from that track can be heard for miles.

As will the noise from the new racing facility in Pennsylvania.

And no, I don't think there's any connection between the two tracks; they only have two things in common that I can think of: They're both auto race tracks, and they're both out of place.

Rocks 'n Roots
11-11-2004, 01:46
The heavens will decide this and it won't be pretty...