A STATEMENT OF CONCERN
FROM THE BOARD OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF OAK RIDGE
December 15, 2020

The Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge expresses its serious concern over efforts to place a motorsports complex at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. Our concern is threefold:

We are concerned about the park’s plans to cut across previously protected natural areas introducing unacceptably high levels of activity and noise and thereby endangering valuable plant and animal habitats—a direct infraction, we believe, of the city’s 25-year-old contract with the Department of Energy in which the city covenants to guard against activities with “the potential to cause a significant adverse impact to the sensitive areas which are a part of the Natural Area.”

We are concerned about the disruptive impact the noise and traffic generated by the complex will have upon the nearby Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, a conservation/recreational venue valued and utilized by members of our community for hiking, biking and enjoyment of nature.

We are also concerned about the prospects of the park’s harmful impact on our neighbors in west Oak Ridge. Based upon the experience of communities in close proximity to similar raceways, homes within a mile of the park as well as homes farther away will be subjected to persistent levels of noise detrimental to current residents’ quality of life and the resale value of their homes. It will also make the continued sale of property in the area for the construction of new homes unlikely.

We appreciate the fact that the city has the responsibility to raise revenue to support our schools, parks, infrastructure, and critical public services. We have significant questions, however, about inflated costs the city will incur for essential public services for the area. Even more, we dispute the assumption that the level of jobs and the flow of revenue generated by the complex will be or can be sufficient to offset the costs.

The League of Women Voters, throughout its 100 year history, has been committed to the task of enabling enlightened public participation in decisions impacting our communities. The national League’s current Impact on Issues guide specifically instructs its chapters to work toward “the management of land as a finite resource not as a commodity, since land ownership, whether public or private, carries responsibility for stewardship.”  This injunction particularly relates to the “identification and regulation of areas of critical concern . . . where development could result in irreversible damage” (p.59).

In light of the strong evidence that Horizon Center and the surrounding natural area are vital to the environment and the quality of life we enjoy as a community, the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge states its deep concern over the possibility of locating the motorsports complex at Horizon Center and call upon the City Council to reject the zoning changes necessary for that to happen.

Harriett McCurdy
President of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge