Staff report
SPENCER ó The developer of High Rock Raceway has submitted a clearing and grubbing plan for 90 acres on the east side of U.S. 29, where a 2.1-mile road course is planned on the banks of the Yadkin River.
The plan, submitted to the Rowan County Planning and Development Department, will allow clearing of timber, brush and stumps.
Lloyd Pace, code enforcement officer for the county, said the application for the permit is being reviewed. The county has 30 days to complete the review.
High Rock Development is under a court order barring grading and land clearing activities until plans are submitted
“No grading will be allowed until we receive a full-blown erosion control plan, and it is approved,” Pace said.
He noted much of the area covered by the clearing and grubbing permit has already been cut over, in what High Rock officials described as a misunderstanding.
The current plan, prepared by Salisbury Engineering, calls for the construction of 28 settlement basins to catch runoff.
Pace estimated it will take several weeks to complete the clearing and grubbing work once the plan is approved. The county staff is reviewing the plan with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
An official with Salisbury Engineering said the company is not doing the raceway’s larger erosion control plan but that another company with more expertise with race track construction will prepare the plan.
The town of Spencer approved a conditional use permit for the race track in August.
Dave Risdon, chief executive officer of High Rock Development, said following the Spencer meeting that he expected to have an erosion control permit and start work on the site in less than three months.