HELP US PUMP THE BRAKES on the proposed Fairgrounds speedway expansion in the middle of Nashville amidst thousands of homes in an extremely congested area!   Mayor John Cooper signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS). Hoping to rush this through by July 31, 2021, Mayor Cooper wants:

• A 50 million dollar loan to BMS
• A new 30,000 seat NASCAR stadium, adjacent to another 33,000 seat soccer stadium already under construction slated to hold soccer games, festivals and concerts. Two, large stadiums, feet apart they will be next to the newly expanded Fairgrounds expo buildings - and all holding events.
• 30-year lease to manage events 365 days a year, with four separate week-long NASCAR events, other motorsports activities, festivals and concerts. It is a drastic increase from its current use: 10 local/regional races per year, 25 practices, and a decibel limit of 90 dB.  
• Instead of seeking substantial community engagement before entering into this letter, Bristol hired multiple high-priced lobbyists and PR firms, well known for pushing against NIMBY campaigns and spinning unpopular land use issues to seem positive for the surrounding communities.

NASCAR cars peak at 140 dB. 140 dB compares to a jet airplane at take off - at these levels, people two miles away will hear the noise at 99 dB. 99 dB compares to a motorcycle revving continuously for hours.  There is an elementary school 985 feet away from the actual paved track.  This level of noise will permanently damage businesses, and ruin the quality of life for  those who work or live nearby, and potentially lower property values for miles.  Downtown Nashville, Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities are all less than 2 miles away.  There is another NASCAR stadium opening 36 miles away from this track in June. Isn't one enough for Nashville? Do we need to expand this track given it's current location and the size of the city around it?

Nashville Soccer Club spent over a year meeting with neighbors, signed a Community Benefits Agreement, AND was required to guarantee their debt - why isn't Bristol being held to the same standard?

WHY THIS PROPOSAL HAS FLAT TIRES:

• A much longer public engagement process should happen, well past July, when people aren't distracted with surviving the global pandemic.
• A Community Benefits Agreement is needed.
• Transparent budgeting: how is this being paid, and what suffers?
• Understand how this will impact our environment: this conflicts with the Mayor's plan to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.
• Elementary school less than 985 feet away: Fall-Hamilton is the closest school to a racetrack in the country. Limiting possibilities of children and rendering the school useless after 3 pm is cruel to the children and the educators who teach them.  All for more tourism money?
• No amount of sound mitigation holds back NASCAR. Bristol does not operate a track in a Metropolitan area - the average size of each property they manage a track is 1,100 acres. Ours track is on 14.

Help us RAISE THE CAUTION FLAG on this plan. Please sign the petition! Want to reach us? Please email us at notenashville@gmail.com. (NOTE Nashville: Neighbors Opposing Track Expansion.)