Saratoga Speedway Withdraws Rezoning Application

The owners of Saratoga Speedway in Black Creek have withdrawn a rezoning application that was not sitting well with some members of the community.

The owners of Saratoga Speedway in Black Creek have withdrawn a rezoning application that was not sitting well with some members of the community. Track owners Rob and Lee Leighton had hoped to re-align some of the property boundaries and build 168 RV campsites.

The owners posted a statement on Facebook saying, “Unfortunately the process has become too toxic on the community and our family at this time, so the public hearing has been canceled and the file will be closed.”

The Comox Valley Regional District board will vote today on a staff recommendation to cancel an April 27 public hearing about the campsite application.

Area resident Niels Holbek said the proposed bylaw was unacceptable to those “concerned about this activity, saying it basically gave him free reign to do whatever he wanted on that site”.

Area C director Edwin Grieve said many concerns about the application were addressed by numerous professional environment and engineering reports submitted for the rezoning. However, members of the Saratoga Speedway Concerned Citizens remain concerned about the level of noise during events at Saratoga, and potential toxic runoff into the water system. The group intends to push the CVRD board to complete a Local Area Plan.