BROOKSVILLE — A Citrus Way motocross track won a far smaller expansion than its operators wanted after neighbors told county planners the bikes have gotten bigger and louder.
The Hernando County Planning & Zoning Commission voted 3-1 on Sept. 14 to approve a modified version of the request after an hour and 20 minutes of testimony and debate. Instead of the 12 three-day competitions the operators sought, the commission allowed two events a year. It also kept gas-powered riding on Saturdays to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and required mufflers or baffles to reduce noise.
To the families who ride there, the roar of the engines is part of the fun. To some neighbors, it’s about as welcome as distorted guitars at a Mozart concert.
The track operates under a special exception use permit approved in 2022 that covers only the northern 20 acres at 16219 Citrus Way. It allows riding Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to dusk, Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to dusk for electric bikes only.
The applicant asked to add two neighboring parcels: the southern 19 acres at 16063 Citrus Way for parking, camping and a buffer, and the western 10 acres at 16398 Hodge Road for a second, wooded track limited to electric motorcycles and ATVs. Existing trees would be kept to screen adjacent properties, according to the application.
The request also would have extended Saturday hours to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and added motocross lessons and occasional vendor open houses.
Development Director Omar DePablo said the operators wanted to hold 12 competition events a year, each lasting three days and drawing up to 500 participants and spectators a day. County staff recommended approval with conditions.
Kyle Benda, representing the applicant, said the events would mainly be races and competitions, along with occasional fundraisers and free ride days.
“In the application, we’re asking for 12 camping spaces with full hookups, and the camping would be only affiliated with the 12 events per year that are being asked for,” Benda said.
Just north of the track, the Saraswati Foundation has operated a meditation center for 20 years. A foundation representative said the track has changed from a place for children on small bikes to one where adults ride machines of all sizes. The area is supposed to be quiet and rural, he said, and the expansion would bring even more gas-powered riding.
Asked by Commissioner Mike Fulford how many complaints he had filed, the representative said one, in March, when he said the track’s use changed.
“There were 15 adult motorbikes racing around the track,” he said. “It was deafening. You could not hear another person speak over the sound of the 15 bikes on my property.”
A neighbor who moved to the area with his wife in 2018 and lives about 500 feet from the existing track said he doesn’t object to the electric-bike track and that things were fine until March. Since then, he said, the operators have advertised bigger events and brought in larger vehicles. He said he hasn’t filed a complaint because he’s trying to be a good neighbor.
“The noise is going to be unbelievable” if the expansion is approved, he said, asking the commission to hold off until a noise study is done. “You will have a number of noise complaints going forward if you continue with this.”
Two other neighbors raised the same concerns, saying the problem isn’t the children’s bikes but the larger ones. They asked the commission to reject the changes.
Benda countered that the original approval was for an off-road vehicle track, not just a children’s track, and that such a track is an authorized use in the agricultural zoning district. A special exception must be approved, he said, unless there is evidence it would harm the public interest.
His clients intend to comply with the county noise ordinance, Benda said, and the commission can’t impose stricter standards than the code requires. When the March complaint was filed, he said, county staff investigated and didn’t issue a citation.
Commissioners spent much of the hearing debating hours, camping and which bikes could run when, amending motions several times.
Commissioner Xenia Pino floated requiring walls around the property, but DePablo cautioned that the board must avoid imposing costs on the applicant. Pino said she understood but wanted a result that worked for both the neighbors and the owner while still letting families enjoy events.
“What can I do to make everybody happy?” she asked.
Acting Chair Nick Holmes laid out the conditions: riding Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to dusk; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for electric vehicles and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for gas-powered vehicles; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for electric bikes only. The conditions also require mufflers or baffles and allow two events a year, each requiring an application.
Benda offered an alternative: close the track entirely Sunday through Tuesday – no riding, no noise – in exchange for full riding for all bikes Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., when children are out of school, with everything else unchanged.
Commissioner Steven Markford said he wanted to stick with the conditions as originally proposed, asking what would happen if a child looked forward all week to riding and it rained Saturday. Pino noted that with Sunday limited to electric bikes, riders couldn’t use gas-powered bikes that day either.
Holmes called for a vote on the motion without Benda’s changes, and it passed 3-1. Pino said she didn’t know how to vote, which was counted as a no.
In other action
With only four members present, the commission postponed electing a chair and vice chair until its next meeting Oct. 12. Two seats are vacant: Former Chairwoman Kathryn Birren resigned after being elected to the Hernando County Commission, and Justin Noe also resigned. Replacements haven’t been named.