“I do not know any of the folks who support this proposal, but I’m confident they see it as positive, not just for them, but for the entire community. I hope they, like you, will understand why many of us do not see it that way. I also would imagine there are some unmet needs out here that we could work on together. This unfortunately, is not one of them,”
“Maybe the developers think they can do better than the Hogwaller ATV Park you have probably seen in videos. If so, I can assure you that most, if not all, of landowners opposed to this amendment don’t see this as a question of quality. It’s a question of compatibility. Nothing in this proposal is compatible with the farmland preservation designation, no matter how responsibly the developers would intend to proceed.”
In order to get Double Gate ATV Park in Flemington approved at the County Commissioners Hearing on June 17th, the applicant must show that there is a need for the Land Use Change from Rural to Rural Activity Center. Because the property is in the Farmland Preservation Area, the bar is high. Let’s be clear – wants and needs are different things. I might want to put chemical storage tanks on my property adjacent to Lake Weir, but I would be hard pressed to show why they need to be in that location. In this same way, Double Gate may be able to present us with a long list of potential customers who want an ATV Racing and Riding Park in Flemington, but is there a compelling reason that it needs to be there?
Like it or not, the proposed site for Double Gate ATV Park is in the Farmland Preservation Area. The County designated those boundaries in 2005 after extensive research to back up the importance of preserving that area for farmland for both environmental and economic reasons. It can not simply allow chunks to be taken out each time a developer expresses a business opportunity. Once it’s erased, it can’t be replaced. There are many ways to have fun and make a livelihood that are compatible with the Farmland Preservation Area. There are others that can be allowed if a sufficient need is shown and appropriate care is taken by the landowner. We have seen neither in this case, and so we strongly urge our County Commissioners to back up their promise to the people of Marion County and with us declare:
We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.
Above is a photo taken yesterday of the proposed site for the Double Gate ATV Park in Flemington. Does this look like a good place to put “dry ATV trails?”
Neighbors to the proposed Double Gate ATV Park continue to write the County Commissioners with clear opposition and good evidence to support their contention that the Flemington location is not suitable for this use. Here is a letter from Rick Robbins, a nearby resident and former Soil and Water Conservation District employee.
Dear Commissioners (especially Commissioner Stone),
This email is in regards to the proposed Double Gate ATV park near Flemington, Florida. As a landowner in District 5 of Marion County, I am concerned about the possibility of introducing a land use that is not compatible with the current Zoning in the designated “Farmland Preservation Area”. The intent of previous commissioners was to protect this area from incompatible land uses and to foster the stewardship of agriculture in NW Marion County. I believe we should respect and honor the work of our past commissioners.
Over 91 percent of the soils within the footprint are designated as Farmlands of Local Importance.
Hydric Soils/Wetlands: Hydric Soils are one of the components of wetlands, hydrology and vegetation are the others. Over 50 percent of the soils within the footprint are designated as hydric soils and could be wetlands if the other 2 criteria are met. Please note that the USFWS wetland delineations often do not include wetlands rating in agricultural areas (pastures, etc.)
Soil Interpretations:
Soil Properties:
Conclusion: There has to be a better location for an ATV/RV park than the proposed location. Soil characteristics, Farmland Preservation classification, and the rural environment around the proposed site should make the rejection of this proposal…a no-brainer. I am OPPOSED to the ATV Park at it’s proposed location.
Let’s look at the proposed ATV Park site from a regional perspective. Most of the surrounding land has a higher elevation. All of the rainfall (and groundwater recharge) is going to accumulate in this drainage basin, and if the rainfall totals are high enough….they will bridge the levee and move significant water offsite and to the southeast. This map illustrates how water moves across the land. The red polygon is the proposed site. Red and yellow hues are higher elevations, green- mid-level elevation, and blue hues are lower elevations. If this graphic doesn’t illustrate what off-site impacts will occur (and where), I don’t know what will. The proposed site is in an extremely large drainage basin with significant areas of local recharge.
Lest you think this is a boggy and useless piece of property, we’d like to point out that the proposed ATV Park sits in the middle of one of the largest areas of “#8 soil” in the County. This soil is considered ideal for agriculture, particularly for pasturing livestock. It is designated as “Locally Important Farmland” by the USDA. The Farmland Preservation Area was created to protect these soils. Our supply of them is finite and valuable for farming.
Last week, we wrote about how the decibel limit for ATV noise can not be met on this site. Today, Rick Robbins showed that the soils can not support an ATV Drag Strip and Racing Trails. Read the comments on our blogs – neighbor after neighbor is asking the County to oppose and deny this flawed plan in the wrong location. In an upcoming blog, we’ll show that there are many existing good locations for ATV trail riding and racing. It is not necessary to invade the Farmland Preservation Area.
What’s your story? The Commissioners need to hear it.
At the June 1st Planning and Zoning Commission Hearing, we heard quite a lot of testimony about the engine noise from Double Gate ATV Park on their “sound test weekend” May 15-16. On that weekend, there were 250 ATVs operating on the site. Neighbors up to 3 miles away and closer reported hearing the engine noise, while some right in the village said they heard nothing. No decibel readings were submitted by the applicant, so the sound issue has been reduced to a matter of differing opinions.
We would like to help clear up the confusion.
Sound Calculations?
Growth Services recommended that the County restrict the ATV sound to 65 decibels at the property line from 7 am until 10 pm, and 55 decibels all other times. Here’s the problem:
“Loud ATV exhaust noise has become an issue both medically and environmentally. The threshold of permanent hearing damage, as set by the OSHA, is 85 dB. A gas-powered lawn mower produces 85 dB. The snowmobile industry cannot, under U.S. law, exceed 78 dBs at full throttle, and since 1979 motorcycle manufacturers must stay between 78 and 84 dB. However, most ATVs are between 85 and 100 dBs, which has led to concerns by both riders and non-riders about excessive noise.” – How to Quiet ATV Exhaust Noise (A Practical Guide) from bettersoundproofing.com
How does one reduce the noise to 65 decibels at the property line? The answer is distance, but how much distance? Here’s a guideline:
“Doubling the distance between the highway and residence will result in a noise level reduction of approximately 4.5 decibels, depending on the surface composition over which the noise is traveling.” – Traffic Noise Fact Sheet by KeepSanDiegoMoving.com.
So, at 50 feet from the property line, 95 decibels becomes 91. At 100 feet, it is 87. At 200 feet, it is 84 – at the threshold for permanent hearing damage. The applicant is asking for a 100 foot buffer while the County is asking for 200 feet. At either distance, just one ATV breaks the sound restrictions. Now add 499 more ATVs. The applicant stated in the P&Z Hearing that they expected 500 to 750 ATVs on the property on a given weekend. Add in the fact that they will be dispersed all over the property, on the race trails and at the drag strip. Add in the fact that, ten weekends per year, there will be organized events with an amplified sound system/loudspeakers.
Sound Barriers?
The Traffic Noise Fact Sheet states that trees are not effective at blocking noise unless they are planted closely together and at least 100 feet thick. Earthen barriers must be above the line of sight in order to be effective. The six-foot berm proposed for the ATV drag strip in the Double Gate Project is not nearly high enough, and only covers one side of the strip.
Sound Thinking?
The size and shape of the Double Gate Property makes it very difficult to achieve allowable noise levels at the property line. The size of the buffers needed would significantly reduce the options for trails. Add in the reality that they have committed to fence off the wetlands on the property, and we have to wonder if race trails will even be possible? Add to that the cost of constructing a much higher berm for the drag strip and all of the environmental and sound studies, and it would seem wise to rethink the business model.
Now let’s take one step back and examine what it would be like to live in Flemington, even if Double Gate ATV Park can obtain the County’s allowable levels of noise. Nobody is saying it won’t be heard. Between 65 and 70 decibels is somewhere between the sound of traffic noise and the sound of a conversation. Every weekend, all day. It will be heard by residents as they play in their yards or in the Community Park. It will be heard by farmers in their fields and by all the animals, both wild and domestic. Some will hear it more than others, with those who are downwind and downslope hearing more from a greater distance. The prevailing winds in this part of Florida are out of the west. Nobody can argue that there will be no sound.
There is much that can be done to the ATVs themselves to modify their noise, but these solutions can be costly and usually affect performance making them unpopular for racing. Take a look at the average decibel levels for after-market exhausts typically used for ATV racing. It is certainly possible to require that all ATVs have appropriate silencing equipment in order to use Double Gate ATV Park, but it’s hard to imagine filling the place with 500 to 750 ATVs each weekend that all have that equipment. Once again, is this a practical business model?
We are not sound engineers, but we believe that there’s enough here to warrant further questioning. The concerns voiced by the community at the P&Z Hearing about ATV noise from the proposed Double Gate Park are…
well…
sound.
We at Horse Farms Forever like ATVs. Many of us own and enjoy them. We support family-oriented outdoor recreation, just like the Double Gate ATV Park applicants. Our concern continues to be about the location of the subject property:
Our message continues to be the same as our mission:
We ask that the Farmland Preservation Area be respected and protected. Once it's erased, it can't be replaced.
We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.
Thank you to everyone who showed up at last night’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The room was past capacity with a rotating line of speakers waiting patiently outside to be heard. Busy Shires Byerly, our Director of Conservation Strategies, spoke for Horse Farms Forever. Here are her comments.
After 3 hours of respectful and insightful public commentary on both sides of the issue, the Planning & Zoning Commission voted as follows:
The Board stated that a key factor influencing their decision was the fact that the subject property is IN THE FARMLAND PRESERVATION AREA. We are happy that this message was heard loud and clear.
These non-binding recommendations now go before the Board of County Commissioners on June 17th. As was stated many times last night, this Planning & Zoning meeting was a dress rehearsal. Community voices are even more important at the next meeting. We will be preparing to advocate clearly for the protection of farmland, environment and community character.
Thank you for joining us last night and please plan to come to the June 17th meeting, 2pm.
We at Horse Farms Forever like ATVs. Many of us own and enjoy them. We support family-oriented outdoor recreation, just like the Double Gate ATV Park applicants. Our concern continues to be about the location of the subject property:
Our message continues to be the same as our mission:
We ask that the Farmland Preservation Area be respected and protected. Once it's erased, it can't be replaced.
We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members’ interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.
The Zoning Hearing is TONIGHT, June 1st, 5:30pm. Here’s the agenda.
In just two weeks, Horse Farms Forever has received a groundswell of letters and comments from Flemington area residents opposing the Double Gate ATV Park. We will be bringing these before the County in tonight’s non-binding Zoning Hearing.
Here is our letter requesting that the Zoning Commission DENY the project.
Now it’s your turn. Zoning and Planning MUST hear from the community.
We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members’ interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.
On May 28, 2020, at 12:55 PM
Ms. Dinkins,
As owner of Sweet Dixie South, LLC, I am concerned about the proposed amendment to the comprehensive plan for an increase in the size of the existing rural activity center and the request for a special use permit for the ATV Racetrack, Paintball and other activities on the property located at the corner of N329/W318 in the quiet community of Flemington.
We realize these types of parks have a history of disrupting local lifestyles and the general atmosphere of the rural community due to their generation of noise and traffic. These parks seem to evoke an increase of littering, and police arrests . We have additional concern as to the detrimental impact these activities would have to the ground waters in or on the nearby flood zones.
Sweet Dixie South is a 160 acre “Jumper and Three Day Event” training farm located less than 1000 feet to the west of the proposed facility. We are very concerned about the volume of the noise and odors from exhaust created by this park. The proposed activities may be very disruptive to ourselves and other adjoining training facilities for the continuance of our established equine disciplines.
We also stand by the fact and believe the proposed facility does not support or promote the Farmland Preservation Area. We discourage any approval by the Marion County Commission to allow this intrusive proposal into the quiet community of Flemington, which is steeped In the tradition of equine culture.
Michael Campbell
Sweet Dixie South
We at Horse Farms Forever like ATVs. Many of us own and enjoy them. We support family-oriented outdoor recreation, just like the Double Gate ATV Park applicants. Our concern continues to be about the location of the subject property:
Our message continues to be the same as our mission:
We ask that the Farmland Preservation Area be respected and protected. Once it's erased, it can't be replaced.
We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members’ interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.