MXGP's proposed a motocross track near Granite Falls faces challenges

On wooded land six miles outside Granite Falls, where two old logging roads meet, Jeff Van Datta and Siobhan Sullivan tried to imagine what it would be like if the trees were replaced by race tracks and bleachers, the roar of motorcycles drowning out the bird song.

Van Datta gave a little shudder. He lives less than a mile from the eastern edge of this forest, where a for-profit company hopes to develop a motocross park that could draw thousands of riders to the area.

For a year now, Van Datta, Sullivan and many of their neighbors have been fighting the proposed park, worried that the constant noise will destroy the quiet they've come to cherish.

Then there are concerns about all the added traffic, not to mention drainage problems and the displacement of the wildlife that lives in and around this 467-acre tract off the Mountain Loop Highway.

"Trust me, we didn't go into this blatantly opposed for no reason," said Van Datta. "If you've got serious, quality-of-life issues that are going to be impacting you seven days a week, you're so far removed from the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) type, that it doesn't apply."

But the plans of the company, MXGP of Kirkland, also have plenty of supporters in this community, where off-roading is a long tradition. They say it would bring tourist dollars to Granite Falls and give families a safe, much-needed place to ride in Western Washington, where an increasing shortage of off-road areas has often meant motorcyclists turn to illegal riding on private property or sensitive public land.

Supporters include the mayor and every member of the City Council of Granite Falls, even though they have no official power to endorse the project because it would be outside city limits. The Snohomish County Council has already passed an ordinance to allow motocross parks in forestry areas for the first time.

But the new track is still tied up in the county bureaucracy. So for now, the fight goes on.

"It'll give the kids a place to go and ride because right now, there's nothing," said Cynthia Gramps, a clerk at Bob and Carol's Deli in downtown Granite Falls. "There's a skateboarding park and that's it."

Gateway to forest

As many as 1,500 trucks rumble through this city of 3,300 people every day, on their way to and from the sand pits and gravel mines in the Cascade foothills.

Just outside city limits, the Mountain Loop Highway, which stretches north, then east, boasts one of the state's greatest concentrations of hiking trails, campgrounds and other attractions for outdoorsy types.

The highway — one of the county's largest tourist attractions — is considered the gateway to Mount Pilchuck and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

The heads of MXGP, Gary Strode and Paul Thomas, point out that the land where they would build their park is less than an hour's drive from Seattle and is relatively isolated compared to other sites they've looked at.

And they're no strangers to opposition for their enterprises.

For four years, Strode and Thomas operated three small motocross tracks behind the state prison in Monroe. But in 2005, Snohomish County officials shut them down, saying their tracks and some other neighboring sports fields should never been allowed on agricultural land.

The partners then tried to buy 50 acres near Maltby, with plans to develop 10 acres for motocross racing. Residents resisted, flooding the county's planning department with a record number of complaints. The proposal died.

Then last June, Strode and Thomas submitted plans for the site outside of Granite Falls.

They want to develop 75 acres to include three tracks, including a beginner track for kids. The park would also have grandstands, concession stands, campsites and parking for at least 600 cars. Riders and spectators would pay around $20 admission.

A 25-foot berm would encircle the tracks, helping to keep the noise down, Strode said. And 1,000-foot buffers would protect the property's remaining 392 acres.

In August, county planners required the company to submit a revised noise study, which they did in December, said Christopher Schwarzen, a Snohomish County spokesman.

After receiving hundreds of comments — the majority from people opposed to the project — the county ordered a third-party analysis of the noise study in March.

That audit is meant to determine whether the company's noise study accurately anticipates decibel levels and whether their berm would really muffle the sound of revving engines. The results are due next month.

Then the proposal would still have to go to a county hearing examiner. And on top of all that, the county would have to approve a zoning change and a conditional-use permit; the County Council would also need to approve the project, Schwarzen said.

Fire Chief Rick Hjelle of Snohomish County Fire District 17, which is based in Granite Falls, is noncommittal, neither supporting nor opposing the project — even though he "wouldn't want to live next to it."

Safety concerns

Hjelle mainly worries about safety at the track, because it could take his crews 15 minutes to get there. "The odds [for serious injury] are greater with that kind of activity, and we're not in a great position to run there," Hjelle said.

Strode counters that the company would hire a medic to be on hand to handle most injuries.

"We want to have a nice, safe, organized facility," Strode said. "Nobody's going to hear it, nobody's going to know it's there ... [and] we're going to bring millions of dollars into Granite Falls.

"I'm pretty confident that legally, we've met all the requirements of the county," he said. "We've done everything they wanted us to do — it's just frustrating it's taking so long."

But Van Datta and Sullivan say Strode should prepare for a long fight. They've hired an attorney, consulted a noise expert, a wildlife biologist and people versed in traffic and hydrology issues.

To aid their battle, their group — called the Mountain Loop Conservancy — has received a grant from the North Cascades Conservation Council, a Seattle nonprofit aimed at preserving the North Cascades' wildlands. They've also collected more than 500 signatures from people opposed to the motocross park.

From Van Datta's perspective, Strode is overestimating the park's economic benefits. And very seriously downplaying the impacts.

"Everyone likes coming out here but that will change if we let this happen," Van Datta said. "It's not over till it's over — and it could be a long time till it's over — but we remain pretty certain we can pull this off."

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com

A story published on May 28, 2008 was corrected on May 30. A previous version incorrectly stated that the Cascade Land Conservancy provided a grant to residents fighting a proposed motocross park outside Granite Falls.