Valley Voice Newspaper

Tulare - The long awaited draft environmental impact report to build the 711-acre Tulare Motor Sports Complex in the southeast part of the city been released and will be available for a 45-day comment period. The three-inch thick document outlines the impact the largest commercial project in Tulare County history is expected to have on the environment including air quality, agriculture, noise and transportation.

In many of these cases the study done by Fresno consultant Michael Brandman Associates finds the impacts are significant. On the other hand, if the company's projections come true, the race track, visitors, facilities and stores could rival Sequoia Park as a visitor destination and compare to milk production in Tulare County as a new source of income generation.

Significantly, the impact report also offers a perspective on whether the project would have a negative effect on business in the city prompted by a Bakersfield lawsuit that demanded the city study the effect of a Wal Mart on that community. In this case, the EIR sub-study done by The Ramsey Group addressed whether the race track might cause “urban decay” in Tulare. Currently, Tulare suffers from 37.6% retail leakage factor, says Ramsey – over $416 million being spent out of town that could be spent in town if services were offered.

Sixteen Thousand Jobs

The Ramsey report included in the EIR, says at build-out the Tulare Motor Sports Complex will have 1.2 million additional square footage of building space that would bring in an additional $224 million in sales activity that could offset the $416 million loss of retail sales.

The report suggest the Motor Sports facility will attract as many as 1.6 million visitors annually if it reaches full capacity – about as many visitors that head to Sequoia and Kings Canyon every year.

These Tulare visitors may be expected to spend $732 for a three day visit according to a California Speedway study done in 2003. At full capacity, visitor spending could reach $735 million that could engender business spending of $1 billion plus, claims the EIR. Over $400 million of that would be in accommodations and food service.

The EIR says the Tulare Motor Sports Complex would support 16,359 jobs in the city and surrounding area.

The bottom line is that the project will mean enough growth to fill any empty storefronts that result from other businesses coming to town, according to the study.

Ready to Rumble?

If urban decay isn't a significant problem, the EIR says the rumble of noisy race cars and “Top Fuel” dragsters might be. Residents in the area not far from the proposed race track complex might be ready to do some rumbling of their own, some expect, when this issue comes to public hearing.

The two race tracks – a one-mile long D-shaped oval race track with seating capacity of 52,600 would be near a drag strip with seating for 39,800 fans. The project would feature up to 350 condos, a go-cart track and a 59-acre RV park. Added to this would be a tech-oriented business park, retail stores, hotels and commercial offices. Four larger lodging facilities with 1,000 total rooms are planned.

Regarding the noise, like that produced by the Indy car and stock car races, the EIR says these races would occur only a couple times a year. Oval track races will be the loudest at just under 100 decibels during the daytime hours when the races would occur. That exceeds the city's 60-dB limit. While some mitigation would be offered, including the grandstand, other barriers to the noise would be unavailable, says the EIR.

The drag strip would be far busier with 174 events a year. Again, grandstands would help a little and that noise would be above the 60 dB level in a large area around the project including where they expect condos will be built but affecting no existing residences. The EIR offers to study building a noise barrier. Noise levels of 60 dB and above are considered intrusive from those having a normal conversation. At 100 dB – listening to a jet take off from 2,000 feet way can cause damage if the exposure is sustained. Noise from concerts is expected 10 times a year. The study suggests noise levels of the Motor Sports Complex should not affect dairy cows – of which there are numerous in the area.

Mitigation for Ag Land

Regarding water supplies, the EIR suggests the 700-plus acres converted from farming to this urban use would use a fraction of the water that is pumped for ag use.

The project will increase the light and glare in part of the community now and its impact is significant and unavoidable. Likewise for air quality, says the report, both during construction and during races. The taking of 711 ag land acres out of production is significant and unavoidable too, says the report. To mitigate taking land out of the Williamson Act – about 419 of the 711 acres – the report says the proponents will buy on a one acre for one acre basis, equal quality farmland to be offered to a land trust like the Sequoia Riverlands Trust to compensate for the land conversion.

To protect Elk Bayou natural area the project plans to offer a 100-foot buffer between the waterway and the RV park that would be maintained as a wildlife corridor.

Regarding transportation and road issues, the EIR notes the project will contribute its “fair share” to a number of road improvement projects including the new Agri-Center freeway interchange that will be the easiest way visitors from Highway 99 will get into the project built back a quarter-mile from 99. Still, despite this, the EIR notes this mitigation would still mean impacts that are significant and unavoidable.

Critics are going to point to traffic jams as a way of life in Tulare, although the placement of the project on the extreme south end of town and that new freeway interchange will clearly help.

Other mitigation offered of note is that the project intends to plant a canopy of trees to shade the area, and install solar panels to meet at least 5 percent of the electricity demand for the project. With a planned fire department/emergency medical facility on site, the proponents propose to pay their fair share for its operation including acquisition of equipment that could include an aerial ladder. Likewise for the police department.

If you are wondering why they go through this exercise, it's because CEQA – the California Environmental Quality Act - mandates a project consider all these impacts and whether the project can provide feasible mitigation measures to offset them. If it can't, they state the impacts are unavoidable.

Only when an opponent files a lawsuit showing the applicant has not adequately considered an impact is the project delayed by a judge and returned for further study. That's part of the reason this study has been delayed for months due to its size, complexity and the desire by the proponents to move forward as soon as possible. By covering all the bases, they hope to dissuade a suit.

The EIR also offers several reduced-size projects as well as no project alternatives to consider.

Now, once the comments are received next month, the city will compile those comments, reply and issue its final EIR. Only then would the project come back to the council for final approval later this summer.

Summary of Controversies

The EIR shows that the following potential impact may be controversial. They include:
• Impacts on regional air quality during construction and operation.
• Impacts on local air quality from toxic air contaminants from racing vehicles and diesel trucks servicing the commercial uses at the site.
• Greenhouse gases/global climate change impacts.
• Conversion of farmland to urban uses.
• Impacts to Elk Bayou.
• Threatened and endangered species and wildlife corridors.
• Managing water runoff and prevention of discharge to Elk Bayou.
• Noise generation from facility operations and increased traffic.
• Traffic congestion on the local and regional road network.
• Increased light and glare from the project, impacting the view of the night sky.
• Potential impacts to cultural resources.
• Potential aviation/airport land use conflicts.

Rome wasn't built in day and neither will be the Motor Sports Complex. The EIR states it will take three years, 2009-2011, to build out the more than half million square feet of retail uses, 752,000 square feet of retail free-standing stores and nearly 2 million square feet of general office buildings along with the hotel rooms, amusement park, condos, campgrounds and warehouse.

For the next three years project will take in another 250 acres. During this three-year construction phase, the air pollutants are likely to be worse led by diesel exhaust fumes and fugitive dust. The applicant says it would limit construction during times of high pollution levels and it plans to install bike racks around the project site. New trees will cover 50% of the paved surface over the project site. Regarding use of leaded fuels in race cars, NASCAR has phased out leaded fuel but some races may have vehicles that still use leaded fuel.

Outside the EIR, but critical to the future of this big project, is the need to annex this land into the city limits – altogether 965 acres that will go through the LAFCO process. Potentially holding that up is a lack of any revenue sharing agreement with the county that could be at least several months away.

Developer Bud Long had been hoping to break ground early this summer. But major hurdles that include a city council decision, complaints by residents over noise impacts, a potential lawsuit and the County of Tulare could each hold up the show.

The above story is the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.