Updated: Pomona City Council Revisits Fairplex Zoning Ordinances

UPDATE: High-ranking members of the NHRA staff, including VP of Operations Graham Light, attended and spoke at last night’s Pomona city council meeting, where potential changes to the zoning ordinances of the Fairplex were on the agenda. The council voted 5-1-1 to move forward with pending adjustments to the existing ordinance, however, as NHRA Senior Director of Public Relations and Communications Jessica Hatcher-Scantlin shared with Dragzine today, the sanctioning body left feeling confident that business, as it pertains to drag racing activities, will continue to prosper well into the future at the Fairplex.

“It doesn’t sound like the City Council has any issue with the NHRA or our events. This ordinance came up more as a result of the concerts and other events that have been at the Fairplex,” Scantlin said. Only one individual among those on hand at the meeting in favor of the new ordinances, which would require the issuance of strict permits on an event-by-event basis, mentioned the NHRA; two of the council members and mayor Tim Sandoval both spoke highly of the NHRA.

“From our impression of the tone of the meeting, they want to continue the relationship. Everything was really positive, and we came out of the meeting feeling very positive about our long-term future at the Fairplex. It was great to know that people did speak positively about our events and that we have likewise had a positive impact on the community, because we’ve been a part of the community for 58 years. And our events are hugely popular there, so we’re thrilled to hear that the future at the Fairplex looks bright.”

 

Estimates place the historical economic impact of the NHRA Mello Yello Series national events on the city of Pomona well into nine figures; the NHRA maintaining that figure into the hundreds of millions over 58 years.

Among the topics presented by members of the city council was a measure to effectively “grandfather” the NHRA in. Following last night’s vote, the city council will next craft the new regulations — the NHRA remaining “hopeful that they take that into account. It didn’t sound like there was an issue there, and so we’re hoping that will take place,” Scantlin added.

EARLIER: There’s a dragstrip still operational in the greater Los Angeles area (there are two, actually), and Southern Californians, as we know, just aren’t going to stand for that.

As published on Sunday in the Daily Bulletin by reporter Monica Rodriguez, the Pomona (California) County City Council will be meeting publicly tonight to discuss a potential re-zoning of the Pomona Fairplex, home to the Auto Club Raceway and the NHRA’s Lucas Oil Winternationals and Auto Club Finals, that could have negative effects on future racing events at one of drag racing’s most stories racing facilities.

In the report, Councilwoman Cristina Carrizosa noted the she and three other council members have headed a committee overseeing zoning regulations on the Fairplex, hoping to “strike a balance” between its needs and the concerns of area residents. In April, Pomona residents approached the council and mayor Tim Sandoval and urged them to revert the Fairplex to a 1970 version of the F-zone — a zoning regulation which authorized 13 different land uses for the Fairplex without a need for a permit. Anything outside those uses required a permit. The 1970 ordinance remained in effect until 2004, when a new ordinance was drafted that permitted and expanded number of uses — this new zoning also allowed the Fairplex to construct new buildings and expand without a permit.

While the county has severely limited the allowable number of drag racing competition days at the Fairplex over the last two decades — cutting the once-weekly and vibrant racing program down to just two national events per year — the F-zone allowed the Fairplex to host concerts and music festivals year-round, resulting in what residents say has been an influx of noise, traffic, trash, crowds, and other issues to the area.

With a majority opinion that “activities at the Fairplex have gone beyond the intent expressed” by the Fairplex staff and the city in 2004, the council will now revisit those regulations, with intent on satisfying both sides.

The proposed changes that have been drafted include allowance to conduct drag races and live entertainment events, so long as they’re conducted within existing structures and have attendance of no more than 10,000 people. This would effect, most notably, the NHRA’s season-opening and ending Mello Yello Series national events, which draw tens of thousands of racers and spectators annually.

Per the report, Miguel Santana, the president and CEO of the Los Angeles County Fair Commission, spoke with the NHRA, who responded that such regulations “wouldn’t work for them,” and “it would be hard for them to continue in this community.”

The NHRA will be attending tonight’s council meeting and we will update this story with further information as it becomes available. In a statement to Dragzine, NHRA representatives commented, “NHRA has a longstanding relationship with Fairplex and the surrounding community spanning over 58 years. Our fans love attending NHRA events at Fairplex and we want to help all parties as they work to find the right solution.”

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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