Lancaster Twp. dirt track stirs up disagreements
LANCASTER TWP — To the great displeasure of both its supporters and opponents, Lancaster Township on Wednesday postponed by at least a month its decision on whether a resident could have a motocross track at his residence.
Josh Inman, a Scott Ridge Road resident, appeared before the board of supervisors at a conditional use hearing Wednesday and pleaded his case as to why he should be allowed to operate a personal motocross track on his residential property, which has caused animosity among some neighbors who showed up at the hearing.
He described the track — which in the past year has, according to Inman, been less than a quarter-acre in size — as a “play area” for his adolescent daughter and her friends, saying there was a difference between the track on his property and motocross tracks at which competitors and enthusiasts race two-wheeled motor vehicles around a dirt path with jumps, hills and other obstacles.
“What I have in my front yard is a play area with small kid bikes, electric bikes, bicycles, hover boards and small-engine dirt bikes,” Inman said. “I mean, we're not talking about race dirt bikes, we're not talking about something that I ride competitively on weekends.”
But while Inman described the track as small — at one point he depicted it as being roughly 70 feet wide and 120 feet long — certain people in the neighborhood disagreed. In fact, on at least three occasions in 2020, residents questioned the board as to whether the township would take action regarding the track's operation.
Andrew Menchyk, a Butler attorney hired by Doug Marshall and Debbie Golden, who own the property immediately to the south of Inman's, got Inman to agree his application was for a track of one acre in size — which Inman said was because his interpretation of the zoning ordinance required it to be at least an acre — and say he has ridden his larger bikes on the track.
Moreover, Menchyk referred to a letter sent to Inman by the Butler County Conservation District in which the district referenced 1.2 acres of dirt being exposed on Inman's property.
In an interview following the meeting, Golden showed an aerial photograph of Inman's property and said the track took up a significant portion of Inman's lot, which is 5.5 acres.
To Inman, Golden's and Marshall's opposition to his track is grounded in dislike for Inman rather than any issue with the track itself. He said the two own, but do not live on, the property, and he accused Marshall of having videotaped his now 11-year-old daughter using the track.Golden said while the two do not live on the Scott Ridge property, they utilize it in different ways — such as farming — and have a well, adding they are “working toward building a home there.”In addition, Inman said he's addressed or will address concerns previously raised by the township. In one example, Inman said after he learned dust generated by the track was causing a problem, he has tried to remedy that by pouring water on the track, using a skid-steer, fire hose and totes of water he filled at the Connoquenessing Creek.He added he's tried moving the track closer to the house, in part to help both with noise and with any future issues pertaining to lights from fixtures crossing into a neighboring property.The Scott Ridge resident, however, said he would not be willing to put in screening — such as trees — to prevent the track from being seen at a property he described as empty.
Despite the roughly hour-long hearing Wednesday night, the board opted to continue the hearing until 6 p.m. Aug. 18, a decision which frustrated both Inman and neighbors.Inman said he thought postponing a possible decision for more than a month, bringing the decision date to the end of summer, was unfair, considering the seasonal usage of the track. His neighbors said they were disappointed they didn't have a chance to be heard.“There's a lot of people from that neighborhood that have come here tonight and have a lot to say,” Golden said after the continuation was announced. “I hope you don't (just) listen to one side, that you will listen to what a lot of these other people have to say.”She added in a post-hearing interview, “We have waited a year to be able to come here and be heard.”The township's interim solicitor, Neva Stotler, said hearing testimony from all interested parties was a major reason to continue the hearing, which is permitted by law.“The way it works is, we're not going to go any further, any longer tonight,” Stotler said. “The next hearing has to be scheduled within 45 days. Mr. Inman has 100 days to complete his case, and then the same goes for the next party.“This is not going to wrap up quickly. But everybody's going to get a chance, everybody's testimony will be heard and (the transcriptionist) will take down every word of what is said.”
