Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve Faces Grave Threat

Do you want to live near a racetrack?

 The peace, quiet and rural atmosphere of the western Antelope Valley is under attack. A wealthy non-resident developer is very close to winning approval for a change to the LA County General Plan from R: Non-Urban to C: Major Commercial, to allow the construction of an automotive racetrack 1.4 miles northeast of the Poppy Reserve, north of Fairmont Butte and south of Avenue D, between 150^th and 155^th St. West.

   This proposed development, Fairmont Buttes Motorsports Park (FBMP, Case #02-176) will create traffic and unacceptable noise for miles around. Many people enjoy seeing auto and motorcycle races at tracks like Willow Springs, but do you want to live near a racetrack, allowed to operate 365 days a year?

 Property owners in your area believe that you will be impacted in these ways:

• Devaluation of property values:  Who wants to live near a racetrack?
• Sustained periods of the noise of high performance race cars and motorcycles, which could exist 365 days of the year
• Increased traffic in the area: the racetrack plan calls for 1371 parking spaces
• More commercial development due to a zoning change, setting a precedent for the future that will begin the destruction of this environmentally sensitive open space: The developers own environmental impact report admits that this racetrack will cause “significant unavoidable environmental impacts to the area.”

In addition, Antelope Valley residents who are long time volunteers at the Antelope Valley California  Poppy Reserve believe that this racetrack creates a severe threat to the Poppy Reserve and would result in a significant decrease in visitation and therefore revenue; potentially a death blow in this time of fiscal crisis.

You can also do one or both of the following.  We suggest January 26 as a deadline for emails and letters:

1. Write/Email: Mike Antonovich, your LA County 5^th District Supervisor and voice your opinion. Mike Antonovich’s email address: fifthdistrict@lacbos.org

 (Emails have just as much impact as a letter).

Or send your letter to Supervisor Antonovich at: Supervisor Mike Antonovich,

500 West Temple Street, Room 864, Los Angeles, CA 90012

2. Write/Email: the Planning Commission. Email address: jsackett@planning.lacounty.gov. Or send a letter to: County of Los Angeles, Department of Regional Planning, Attention: Jodie Sackett, 320 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA  90012

For additional information, including more sample letters and a link to the LA County Regional Planning Commission website giving information about this development (FBMP, Case #02-176), visit our website:

www.sio2.com/savethepoppyreserve