by Brian Parker developer has proposed a professional auto raceway for a 1,000 acre forested site in eastern Baltimore County. The site is the largest forested tract inside the County?s Urban Rural Demarcation Line (URDL) or growth boundary. Moreover, the tract contains at least 350 acres of wetlands and is one mile from Middle River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay - and only three miles from the Bay itself. Middle River Racing Association plans to develop the ?Essex International Speedway? to host auto races. The racing complex would also include a six-story office building, parking lots to accommodate 100,000 cars, a sports center, and an RV park to hold up to 500 RVs. Access to the area would be largely through the use of an extension of Maryland Route 43 (White Marsh Boulevard). The extension of the road, which would bisect the site, would cost taxpayers up to $70 million. The extension is crucial to the successful operation of the raceway. Sierra Club activists are concerned that, despite the developer?s claims to the contrary, the road, racetrack, and all related development will destroy most of the forest, fragment what is left, and severely impact the wetlands within the property. Environmentalists and community activists are also opposing this project because of the adverse impact on wildlife, the air and noise pollution generated by auto raceways, and the congestion that will be brought to nearby residential areas. Several community groups are vehemently opposed to this project. Greater Baltimore Sierra Clubs members attended a recent Baltimore County Planning Board hearing to testify against the proposed zoning changes that would allow the racetrack to be developed on the parcel, which is currently zoned for manufacturing. Despite significant community opposition, the Board voted unanimously to approve the measure. The next step will be for the County Council to enact legislation to effect the zoning changes. The State of Maryland has requested the Maryland Stadium Authority to study the proposed speedway. The State, the County and the Developers - Middle River Racing Associates, are also paying an out of state firm $58,000 to conduct another fiscal impact study of the proposal. The Maryland Chapter Executive Committee has voted to oppose the track and has designated funds to be used in a possible legal battle.
	What you can do to help: Write Governor Glendening, Baltimore County Executive C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger III, and the 5th District County Councilman Vince Gardina and tell them you oppose the proposed raceway, the extension of Route 43, and the expenditure of $70 Million in State funds to subsidize a road for the raceway. Ask them to see to it that this natural resource area of forest and wetlands is protected. For more information, call Brian Parker at 410-661-7484.