Since the May 25-26 weekend, the Comox Valley Regional District has been receiving questions and complaints about drag racing activities at 4753 Forbidden Plateau Rd. near Nymph Falls Nature Park.
Drag races were held on a paved strip at the site of the Smit airfield on the property.
While paddleboarding on the Puntledge with a friend last weekend, area resident Dylan DeGagne said he could hear the cars roaring, even as far away as the Comox Dam, as the noise funnelled its way down the river.
“Every 30 seconds there’s a new trial because there’s so many cars. It’s deafening,” he said. “Every single person that uses that park area, it completely changes it. Now it’s like a drag strip. You can’t be at Nymph, you can’t be at Barber’s, and not hear it.”
Besides disturbing park users, DeGagne said the noise will have an adverse effect on property values — if it continues.
“The reason I live there is because of the park area,” said DeGagne, who has initiated a change.org petition: Put the brakes on drag racing alongside Nymph Falls Nature Park.
The district says the property is zoned RU-20, and contains a federally permitted private air strip.
“The CVRD has opened an investigation and will be following up with the concerned individuals who submitted complaints, as well as the property owner,” the district said in a statement. “The CVRD is in the process of further reviewing all regulatory bylaws that may apply, as well as any specific requirements for this property relating to drag racing activities. We hope to provide further clarity for all parties involved in the coming weeks.”
Efforts to contact the property owner were unsuccessful.
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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