Vancouver Island race track abandons expansion plan, takes legal action against municipality

A test track for high-performance sports cars on Vancouver Island has abandoned plans to expand, saying it instead intends to bringlegal action against the Municipality of North Cowichan.

The Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit (VIMC) near Duncan, B.C.,has been the subject of complaints about noise since it opened in June 2016, and council was set to decide whether to approve new zoning for the expansion of the trackMonday.

Stakes for the decision were considered high, becauseGAIN Group, the track's owners, said it would sue for $60 million if the expansionplans werenot greenlit.

But on Thursday VIMCwrote a letter to the municipality indicating that itwould no longer be proceeding with the rezoning application, and would instead pursue legal action.

"VIMC no longer wishes to proceed with the rezoning application that the municipality has initially requested and then refused," it read in part.

"VIMCowns [...] lands that the municipality has said many times is appropriate zoning for the circuit, and VIMC will proceed in accordance with its legal and equitable rights."

North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring said in a written statement that Monday's public hearing will still go ahead.

Noise complaints

Residents complain that the roar of engines coming from the 18-hectare site where drivers can test their race-track skills behind the wheel ofPorsches, Mercedes, BMWsand Alfa Romeos can beheard for kilometres around the bowl-like Cowichan Valley.

The GAIN Group a B.C.-based network of luxury car dealers wants to triple the size of the site, withplans to develop an additional 42 hectares to include anoff-road track, clubhouse, garages at a cost of at least$36 million.

'Very throaty, ugly growl'

Some residents are upset about the current site, and don'twant the expansion.

The 80-member Sahtlam Neighbourhood Association has protested about noise, rubber dust pollution and the lack of consultation with local Indigenous leaders.

Isabel Rimmer, whose property is 800 metres from the test track, uses earplugs and fans to block the noisein her house when the track is in operation.

"It is literally the sound of high-performance automobiles as though it was in your backyard," said Rimmer, who has lived on her property for 20 years.

"You can hear them gearing up and down. We can hear a blown shift. We can hear the screech of tires. The Audi R8 has got a very throaty, ugly growl," said Rimmer, who recorded the sound of the car when it was being tested:

Theexpansion and noise issues havebeen studied and debated for more than two years, ever since GAIN Group applied to rezone the site in July 2017.

Initially, North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebringurged people to consider all the factors in a potential expansion, including $3 million in amenities the owners offered.

He voted in favour of rezoning to allow the expansion Oct. 4. But council voted that down 5-2.

The municipality's director of planning, Rob Conway, denied the track's development permit application on Oct. 25.

In a report, Conway said the motor vehicle testing and driver training facility was not a permitted use, despite earlier zoning approvals for the first phase of the track by the former city manager and planning staff in2013.

The staff involved in the initial approvals have since left the municipality.

'World class' facility

Former councillor John Koury was on the council that initially approved the track. He argues that the track delivered jobs and a new car tourism industry to the Cowichan Valley, which was economically depressed with the loss of logging work.

"I make no apology," Koury said of the initial approval.

"People who drive a Ferrari can afford organic food and go to a winery, go to the vineyard and buy a $3,000 bike to ride on our fantastic trails. So it was a very good fit for all these doctors and lawyers and accountants retiring to Cowichan who want to bring their cars and join a club," said Koury.

"This is world class. There's very few facilities like this in the world."

Siebring, who served on council with Koury, says the track ignites sparks on both sides.

"There's not too many people that are neutral on this," he said.

GAIN's lawyer Lorenzo Oss-Cech says the grouphas invested years and millions of dollars in the project.