The hamlet of Accord in the Town of Rochester in the Rondout Valley is about as rural a community as rural gets, with farming still the mainstay of the local economy. In recent years, a few new large businesses have been established, drawing in upscale out-of-towners to enjoy the pleasures of agritourism, including the Arrowood Farms craft brewery, Westwind Orchard cidery and the luxury cabin resort and golf course Inness. But a linchpin for locals, in terms of “something to do,” has long been the Accord Speedway, which draws racing fans from all over to Friday-night competitions at its site at 299 Whitfield Road.
Now a proposal is under consideration by the Rochester Planning Board to allow Accord Speedway owner Gary Palmer, doing business at the site since 1992 as Twin Track Promotions, to add 12 non-racing events each year to the 40 evenings of auto racing already permitted by the town. Residents of the otherwise-bucolic neighborhood turned out in droves to the board’s January 8 public hearing on the application, with a fairly even split between supporters and opponents. According to planning board chair Marc Grasso, the proposed new events could include “barbecues, car shows, Jeep events, circuses, fairs, rodeos [and] small concerts.”
First established in 1982 on 20 acres that had formerly been part of the Osterhoudt dairy farm, the Speedway’s original owners developed a less-than-savory local reputation before the facility went out of business for some years, according to the recollection of one longtime resident, Jack Shanahan of Cliff Road. “They had a nasty attitude; they didn’t care. They let [the drivers] take their mufflers off… It tore the town apart.”
Current owner/operator Palmer, by contrast, was lauded by many attendees as a community-minded citizen who supports local youth sports leagues and hosts events honoring first responders. “I’m in favor of what you have in view,” said Richard Smith of Lower Whitfield Road. “The Palmers give a lot to the community. They let kids in free for some events.”
Smith was one of several longtime neighbors at the meeting who waxed nostalgic about having grown up nearby the Speedway. “What I looked forward to each Friday was seeing the cars go by,” he said. He noted that Palmer typically only holds races on 27 of the permitted 40 nights per year. “That means 13 that you don’t use. Asking for another 12 [for non-racing events] seems like a no-brainer.”
Potential noise impact was much on the minds of attendees, especially since the planning board at its December 11 meeting had voted down a proposal by member Zorian Pinsky to require a sound study for the project. A number of old-timers who favored the expansion proposal expressed the opinion that the decibel level generated by races is tolerable background noise. Other neighbors, especially those who live nearest to the site, lamented their inability to enjoy being outdoors on fine summer evenings. “Forgoing a sound study seems disrespectful to our needs,” said Karen Atta of Upper Whitfield Road. “I personally cannot open my windows at night when the Speedway is going.”
“It can be pretty bad on Friday nights. We cannot sit out on our decks or porches and have a conversation,” agreed Marti Roberge of Cliff Road, the thoroughfare that intersects with Whitfield Road closest to the Speedway. “We do not object to a barbecue, a fair or other non-vehicular event, so long as the noise is reasonable.” Roberge was one of several attendees who suggested that the planning board consider issuing only a one-year permit for the expanded event schedule, so that impacts can be evaluated after the first season.
Others noted that Rochester’s 1987 local law regulating motor vehicle racetracks limits racing time to a maximum of five hours per day, while commercial non-racing events can run for up to 14 hours per day under the zoning code. Moreover, the nature of the noise could be markedly different due to audio amplification. “I’ve worked in live music and at live events. Music can be very, very loud,” said Matt Flanders of Cooper Street. “A rodeo announcer bellows at all hours of the night.” Several other commenters complained about amplified music already being audible until after midnight from rock concerts held at Arrowood Farms on Lower Whitfield Road.
In response, Arrowood Farms maintains that all concerts end by 9:30pm. “We are permitted by the Town of Rochester Special Use Approval to have events run until 11:00pm but we choose to end these events earlier out of respect for our neighbors and community.”
Even some who supported racetrack activities in general expressed qualms about how different, and possibly more intrusive, a daytime event might be. “I don’t have problems with the races; it’s kind of a lulling sound. But I think I’d go crazy with concerts or a rodeo. I might have to sell the house,” said Ruth Meaker of Cooper Street. “I respectfully request that we not rubber-stamp this.”
One speaker, Rebecca Collins Brooks of Lucas Turnpike, was a former planning board member. She praised the Speedway as “one of the few fun activities for young people” in Rochester, where her own daughter had “caught the car bug,” leading to a career in automobile software. However, she pointed out that the town doesn’t have a noise ordinance in place, and urged the current board to reverse its waiver and require an “unbiased and thorough sound study” for the expansion proposal.
Elliott Matz of Kripplebush Road reminded the board that the noise limitations incorporated into the 1987 racetrack law had been a compromise formulated by averaging out the decibel levels over a period of hours that did not include any racing activity. He compared this approach to trying to talk one’s way out of a speeding ticket with the argument that the car had been parked in a garage for most of the day, and therefore its average speed was well below the legal limit. “Any such accommodations should be voted on by the town board and added to the code,” he said. “It’s all about the zoning code. It should apply equally to everyone.”
Other residents mentioned the possibility that non-racing events might entail significant impacts from setup and breakdown of equipment in the days preceding and following an event, generating both unaccustomed noise and heavy truck traffic on narrow local roads. After noise, traffic congestion was the issue most concerning to those who offered objections to the proposed expansion of activities at the track, in terms of quality of life and safety. “I’ve stopped riding my bike on Whitfield Road on Fridays, due to all the trailers. These large vehicles are very dangerous to foot traffic,” said Rebecca Horner of Cooper Street. “I’m firmly against any expansion of events.” Others cited the presence of trucks parked along roadsides during events and having to clean up trash that drivers had tossed from their windows.
Katie Finley of Cooper Street spoke for many opponents of the proposal when she asked that the public comment period be extended. “My biggest concern with this special permit application is how incredibly vague it is. It needs to specify exactly what they plan. We already have too many loud events,” she said, accusing the Speedway’s supporters of “operating on 1992 values and 1992 ideals. It’s the duty of government to put health and safety first. Economic development is a secondary concern.”
At the end of the session, the planning board agreed to extend the public hearing at least until its next workshop meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 22 at the Harold Lipton Community Center at 15 Tobacco Road in Accord. Comments can be e-mailed to Planning Board secretary Jazmyne Wilhelm at pbzba@townofrochester.ny.gov.
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