Archive-12-01-08

ROAR COLUMBUS PARTNER UPDATE

Imagine if someone built a motorsports speedway just blocks from your home. One that featured ear-shattering NASCAR-style racing and high-performance drag races throughout the week and into the evenings on weekends.

Wouldn't that distress you and your family? The value of your home? The growth of your community?

Amazingly, someone is proposing to do just that in the heart of Franklinton. Just 1.5 miles from German Village, downtown, the Hilltop, Southwest Area and Grandview Heights.

Arshot Investment Corporation/King Holding Company and developer Bill Schottenstein want to build a high-speed motorsports complex on the site of Cooper Stadium.

Already, they've made headway. The Franklin County Board of Commissioners agreed to sell them Cooper Stadium for $3.325-million.

ROAR Columbus (Redevelop Our Area Responsibly) is a grassroots coalition of Columbus-area citizens and business owners deeply concerned about the Arshot proposal. We believe the extreme noise generated by a motorsports speedway in a high-density residential area like Franklinton has the potential to:

>Harm the quality of life for thousands of people in Franklinton and beyond

>Lower property values throughout the area

>Hurt or ruin businesses in the vicinity of Cooper Stadium

>Damage the environment due to noise pollution and petroleum runoff that could flow into the nearby Scioto River

Arshot has said they will commission a noise impact study, however ROAR Columbus believes the issue is too critical to rely solely on the findings of a study paid for by Arshot. To avoid the potential for biased reporting, ROAR Columbus supports conducting an independent noise impact study before moving forward with this project.

To date, numerous organizations have pledged their support of ROAR Columbus and are asking for an independent noise impact study. They include:

>German Village Society
>Franklinton Area Commission
>Downtown Residents Association
>Southwest Area Commission
>Midtown Area Realtor's Association
>Audubon Ohio
>Green Lawn Cemetery
>The Waterford Tower condominiums
>WeCare Health Facility

To help us pay for an independent noise impact study and legal representation, we've also received financial contributions from:

>Columbus Board of Realtors
>Ohio Association of Realtors
>Midtown Area Realtors Association
>and many other local business groups and area residents

We invite you to learn more about the proposed speedway as well as ROAR Columbus' mission to support the redevelopment of Cooper Stadium in a manner that's appropriate to its urban neighborhood location and consistent with the green initiatives proposed by the Columbus Mayor, Columbus City Council and Franklin County Commissioners.

Please visit our website at www.roarcolumbus.org
Or contact us at info@roarcolumbus.org

####