Amazon warehouse Woodburn Oregon

[Jim Caughlin]

Probably a good thing for the dragstrip, the huge field just west of I5 has been purchased to build a gigantic Amazon facility. I know there are mixed feelings about Amazon business practices but warehouses (opposed to giant housing developments) don't complain about noise. As I live down the street from this development, I'm not looking forward to what it will be doing to the traffic situation it sure will be better than the housing development that might have been there instead.

Jim Caughlin
SS 6019

[Carguy49]

Much better than a housing development near the track. I am sure you saw the new houses very close on the east side of Pacific Raceways when you were up for the Divisional a couple of weeks ago. These are high end homes not track houses for the common folk.

We DO NOT need any more housing around race tracks causing them issues.

[BrayJo]

Buy property cheap because it's next to a racetrack, build a extravagant home, then start complaining about the noise coming from the racetrack.

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by BrayJo

Buy property cheap because it's next to a racetrack, build a extravagant home, then start complaining about the noise coming from the racetrack.

Unfortunately, too many do just that. Same type that buy in rural farm areas, then complain about the smell of *****!
Jim, just West of the 271 exit on the I 5, isn`t there already a large warehouse there, across from the mall?

[Irace007]

Originally Posted by BrayJo

Buy property cheap because it's next to a racetrack, build a extravagant home, then start complaining about the noise coming from the racetrack.

It happened here in Minnesota
1976 last year of Minnesota Dragways.
Followed by the loss of Twin City Dragways 4 years later .All due to housing and business development

[Greg Reimer 7376]

Been there, seen all this before. We wish all Div 6 racers well on the long term preservation and operation of Woodburn Drag Strip. It was truly in the outskirts when built, the I 5 came along and skirted the east side of the track about two miles away, but development seems to gradually encroach. A large industrial plant may seem a very suitable noise suppressant, but the trick is to not have residential housing come in anywhere near it. In this neck of the woods, it seemed that most of the drag strip closures and land development was industrial or commercial. Lions Drag Strip was shut down and became a huge intermodal shipping facility. The track only leased the land, had they owned it, it would have required an eminent domain suit to get rid of it. Riverside raceway in the late 1980's became a commercial and a residential development. Orange County became a new industrial park in 1983. The original Irwindale became a large industrial site for the Miller Brewing Company in 1978. Palmdale became a rock quarry in the early 2000's. All of these sites were on leased property that was literally sold from under them.Sometimes, ownership of property isn't enough to guarantee the longevity of it's continued operation as a race facility. All businesses need to operate with a conditional use permit, business licenses, and other such things, and they can be yanked to close a business operation and force it out.
I hope that's not the case any longer, and that Woodburn carries on, but time will tell. Best wishes to all involved!

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by Greg Reimer 7376

Been there, seen all this before. We wish all Div 6 racers well on the long term preservation and operation of Woodburn Drag Strip. It was truly in the outskirts when built, the I 5 came along and skirted the east side of the track about two miles away, but development seems to gradually encroach. A large industrial plant may seem a very suitable noise suppressant, but the trick is to not have residential housing come in anywhere near it. In this neck of the woods, it seemed that most of the drag strip closures and land development was industrial or commercial. Lions Drag Strip was shut down and became a huge intermodal shipping facility. The track only leased the land, had they owned it, it would have required an eminent domain suit to get rid of it. Riverside raceway in the late 1980's became a commercial and a residential development. Orange County became a new industrial park in 1983. The original Irwindale became a large industrial site for the Miller Brewing Company in 1978. Palmdale became a rock quarry in the early 2000's. All of these sites were on leased property that was literally sold from under them.Sometimes, ownership of property isn't enough to guarantee the longevity of it's continued operation as a race facility. All businesses need to operate with a conditional use permit, business licenses, and other such things, and they can be yanked to close a business operation and force it out.
I hope that's not the case any longer, and that Woodburn carries on, but time will tell. Best wishes to all involved!

Interesting thing about Woodburn Dragstrip, is there is a golf course directly across the road. Have to wonder how many golfer elect to play there, during the LODRS points meets, or any race weekends for that matter.

[garyc]

hi
did you notice the new condos right behind the starting line at Atlanta

[Fireofficer74]

Interesting how a nonprofit dedicated to the safety and expansion of drag racing sells a dragstrip and provides no other place to race in the area.

[Jim Caughlin]

Originally Posted by Rory McNeil

Interesting thing about Woodburn Dragstrip, is there is a golf course directly across the road. Have to wonder how many golfer elect to play there, during the LODRS points meets, or any race weekends for that matter.

The golf course across the street is sort a 'blue collar' kind of place (and I don't mean that as a bad thing), I think you would find people there regardless of races going on. For the record, the backside of my property runs to the RR tracks so when I race something multiple day, I just leave my truck and trailer at the track and walk across the golf course and into my backyard. I think Joey's place is up against the golf course also. Similar to the warehouses, I think the golf course owner is friendly to the dragstrip as they have both been there forever.

Regarding the location of the Amazon warehouse property, it is on the left side of the road just after the warehouses that are already there. They said the Amazon warehouse will be 105 ft tall and employ 1800+ people. They have been surveying like crazy for the last couple of months so I knew something was up.