I traded properties with the gravel pit because they needed my property for a haul road. I got a great deal but just trying to get all the permits and approvals to hopefully build a new MX track is giving me a migraine. I need to widen one approach and remove another one that's been there over 30 years because you can only have one approach for each quarter section of land. I have to hire someone to cut the partial asphalt approach. The county won't send notices to neighbors until after I've paid $7000 for the rezoning application and got approved by the highways department. I don't want to spend $10K or more hoping I can get approved. I'd like to get feedback from neighboring properties so I can address their concerns and assure them I want to work with them rather than just go ahead without any input. The county suggested I go to the post office and do a neighborhood mailing. They can't give me addresses because of the privacy act but I don't know why they couldn't send letters if I provided everything and paid the postage. I also hope I don't have to get and pay for a different development permit everytime I knock a tree down or move a bucket of dirt. The county I moved from was so much easier to deal with and I don't think it cost more than about $500. I'm not some big developer with deep pockets and a lawyer on retainer. The county claims to be very diverse and open to all kinds of recreation and development but it sure seems like a lot of hoops to go through to me. I can have friends come and ride as long as it's not advertised or a commercial type deal. I have a lot friends that ride after having a track for 20 years. How many is too much is open to debate the same with noise levels. The county doesn't have a decibel rating but goes by what is considered a nuisance noise level. Reading about some other motorsports tracks nuisance level is too vague. There needs to be a decibel rating. It's just really frustrating and takes a long time. Even to get a roadside development permit you can't go to an office where you can ask questions to make sure you do it right. It has to be done online. The guy I talked to gave a bunch of ridiculous excuses, one of them that the AC doesn't work in the building. I think he's just lazy working from home. Why does it have to be so complicated??
Move to Newfoundland. Co worker from Newfoundland lived here in nb. He bought property in Newfoundland and was getting it ready to move there. He went to see about permits. Guy said it's your land why would you need a permit. Septic system was an old oil tank and a bunch of rocks covered with old car hoods, to which the county also said was fine
That’s too bad, not at all familiar with issues north of the border. It is not too easy building down here, unless you’re a developer with deep pockets, connections and experience. Hope you get it done
I was talking with the guy who is helping me. He agrees it's stupid to pay all this money with no indication if it will be approved. He said yeah, we could make a couple of calls and have a 100 friends riding and there's nothing anybody could do about it. I'm not a big developer with deep pockets. I'm just trying to play by the rules but there's a lot of BS to deal with like having to take out a 2nd approach that has been there for decades.
How close are the two approaches? Could u hook them together and have 1? Also, if there can only be 1 per quarter section, how were there 2, and is the a grandfather clause?
A mate has riders come to his property to ride on occasions and keeps it on the QT. Mostly families come and my mate mows up a enduro track for them. They can camp there for the weekend and need to bring everything they require plus clean up the site before leaving. He reckons it great to see little kids having a go especially after he has given them some riding tips and all of a sudden they become very competitive, gotta beat dad. Others organise these "gatherings" which keeps him a step away from any liability
Approaches are about 1000 feet apart. Years ago there was apparently someone dealing in scrap metal at that corner of the property. Doesn't appear to be a grandfather clause but if I applied for subdivision of that corner the approach could stay. I got some good info from a firm that does Traffic Impact Assessments which thankfully I don't need. They said usually improvements don't have to be put in place until you open for business. I can have friends and family ride as long as it's not advertised or ran as a business. That's pretty vague to me. I could have 20 or more people show up with a couple phone calls. Is the RCMP/County suddenly going to have a limit on how many friends and family I can have ride?? There is no specific decibel rating for noise just what's considered a nuisance. That's to vague too and open to interpretation. It should make it easier for me to get the rezoning approved.
Local track here had a lease for $1 a year, really saved the land owner when someone got hurt and then the track closed after that
I think the track in the middle of Calgary might have a $1 lease from the city but the city wants the land for new bus barns. The club is trying hard to convince the city to find another location for the bus barns. The track is kind of famous as it's the only MX track in the middle of a city in N. America and it's very busy. 30,000 visitors and $7.1 mil. revenue into the city in 2023. There are 3 tracks on 80 acres but the main track is one of the best for the Canadian Nationals. https://triplecrownseries.ca/wp-content/uploads/wild-rose-mx-1.jpg
Dave I've seen most of your posts over the last few years. With your health concerns why would you even consider making a new track from scratch? I'd just sit back and do less strenuous things I like.
The property is perfect for a track. I'm hoping to have a group of people run it, maybe a non profit and I get paid for rent or work I do. I wouldn't do it if I had to do everything myself. It will bring me some income too since disability doesn't pay much. I'm up for it as long as I get some ongoing help.
Oh man, I was reading up on how the approach has to be made. It's supposed to have a 3 to 1 slope on the sides which very few on the same road have. That would require a longer culvert. Maybe I could add a section of culvert to each side of the existing culvert?? It and the approach I need to take out has to be seeded with a special mix the county specifies. I think you have use a certain topsoil too. It's a bloody ditch! Worse I think I have to put down an $8000 deposit I could get back or the county just builds it. It sure doesn't seem like the county or the Provincial Gov't. are very pro new development. They make it too cost prohibitive for the average person. I don't have boatloads of money and I'm not building a multi-million dollar motorsports park with huge sponsorship and gov't. support. I'm just trying to give people a safe controlled place to ride. What a money racket for what will generally have less than 100 riders per week. I'm going to look into grants for recreation and tourism. It's just ridiculous!
Toss a bunch of rail road ties into the ditch and drive over that
When I put in my driveway the only spec was it had to be 8 inches below pavement level at the ditch line. Easy peasy. d.d.
I'm guessing the Dept. of Transportation has revised specs. for approaches so all approaches needing to be modified (or new approaches) have to meet the new specs. but if no revisions or zoning changes then existing approaches are basically grandfathered in. It's stupid. Why when they pave the road are they extending the asphalt onto an approach that shouldn't be there. I also noticed a large greenhouse off the same road who at times has well over 75 visitors doesn't meet any of the requirements I have to meet. They put up temporary signs to lower the speed limit it's so congested. That alone isn't normally allowed. They used to have a corn maze a 1/4 mile away but it got shut down because because of too much traffic and they used busses to carry people from the corn maze to the greenhouse and and back to the corn maze. People drive really stupid when they are busy too. There's a guy waving you the parking lot is full. You don't need to slow to a crawl and stop and talk to him. Just keep driving because you cannot park there. There are another 10 cars behind you and some are just driving to their homes. Their parking lot has basically no set back as required, the driveway is no wider than what a residence requires and visitors can't just drive in. It can't fit 1 car entering and another car exiting. There is somebody directing people where to park like it was a big auction with limited parking. How come they don't have to, at the very least, widen their approach??