Throttle Therapy is seeking a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to build a 711 acre motorsport park in Powhatan. We must do everything in our power to stop this project from going forward.
Throttle Therapy’s CUP Application and Conceptual Site Plan as submitted to Powhatan County are completely unacceptable.
One of the largest problems with Throttle Therapy’s proposed park lies with the specific location they have chosen. The entire site is located within a Priority Conservation Area, either in a Natural Conservation or Rural Preservation Zone, with a significant amount of land in wetlands adjacent to the Appomattox River. This would have a large environmental impact on the land, river, and wildlife in Powhatan and the surrounding counties. Additionally, access roads are inadequate for the numerous large vehicles with trailers who will be visiting the park. There is currently no adequate Emergency Medical Services access. The motorsports park would also cause a large increase in noise which disturbs nearby homeowners and wildlife.
Rural development means balanced growth. To maintain its rural character, a place must balance land and wildlife protections with rural development and recreational opportunities. Rural does not mean recreation at the cost of our environment and wildlife.
The biggest immediate concern about this project is the large, ongoing environmental impact on soil, vegetation, wildlife, and wetlands located within the proposed park.
The entire site is located within a Priority Conservation Area. All parts of the site are designated for either Rural Preservation or Natural Conservation. (Source: map)
The land is almost entirely located within the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resource’s Virginia Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. (Source: DWR)
Throttle Therapy attempted to counter the environmental argument by claiming there are no wetlands are in the proposed park. When they were proven wrong, they followed with an admittance that there were indeed wetlands but no proposed trails in them. This is also demonstrably false based on their own CUP application.
Regardless of whether new trails are constructed, the environmental impact largely comes from the off-road vehicles using the trail, a factor which cannot be sufficiently mitigated.
Nothing should move forward until a professional environmental impact survey has been conducted.
Environmental Impact
Soil Erosion: It is proven that off-road vehicles cause soil erosion on trails. This erosion is particularly bad in wetlands, where a large amount of Throttle Therapy’s single track is proposed. Additionally, soil from any land disturbance on the site will flow into the Appomattox River.
Wildlife: The noise and land disturbance created by off-road vehicles disturbs the highly sensitive wildlife both in Powhatan and directly across the Appomattox River in the Amelia Wildlife Management Area. The park would instantly displace unknown amounts of wildlife, including nesting birds.
NEW: Powhatan Agricultural & Forestal Advisory Committee Report recommends Throttle Therapy’s CUP be rejected. Throttle Therapy claims the AFD report is based on “false numbers” when it is, in fact, based on the numbers Throttle Therapy themselves cite in their CUP application.
Wetlands: Wetlands are extremely important at controlling water quality, flooding, and drought resistance. Powhatan is already experiencing extreme drought and decreasing our wetlands will worsen the impact.
Roads and Access
Another concern about this project is the inadequate roads and bridges. Rocky Ford Road and the private access road are both inadequate for the increased amount of vehicle traffic, specifically large trucks with a high amount of trailers or “toy haulers” to carry their off-road vehicles. The private access road to the property also contains an inadequate bridge for handling both this traffic and access for Emergency Medical Services.
Large trucks & trailers: Rocky Ford Road, the main public access road, is one of the oldest roads in Powhatan County. Partially because of this, it is very narrow and incredibly curvy. Normal traffic already has a difficult time navigating these roads and near-miss collisions are a daily occurrence. It would be practically impossible to navigate for the large trucks with trailers and “toy haulers” that commonly visit motorsports parks.
Private access road: Access to the park requires use of a private road which is controlled by an easement. This road is very narrow and contains a bridge which cannot support the amount and type of traffic accessing the park. Additionally, there may be issues with the easement and whether it allows Throttle Therapy’s customers access.
Throttle Therapy’s CUP application also says they will have pull-off areas for vehicles to pass. This is already a daily struggle of those living off the road without the addition of hundreds of new vehicles. Construction would be necessary to widen any part of the road covered by the easement and is not legally possible.
Emergency Medical Services: The private access road is inadequate for EMS to safely access the park. Throttle Therapy knows this but has not proposed any remedy. Any required remedy is incredibly costly and must be paid for by Throttle Therapy themselves if the project moves forward.
NEW: Throttle Therapy claims they have a letter from the County stating access is adequate for their business. The way they present this letter is misleading and we have received clarification that letter only applies to current access. No determination has yet been made by the County.
Noise
Another big concern about this project is the noise level generated by the off-road vehicles using the trails. Throttle Therapy has been purposely misleading residents on the noise level, claiming levels as low as 50 dBA, based on unofficial demonstrations conducted with no standards.
A typical trail dirt bike commonly produces sound levels between 96 and 100 dBA, while professional motocross racing standards may permit sound levels up to approximately 114 dBA. Prolonged exposure at these levels can cause permanent hearing loss. While riders themselves can consent to this exposure, residents and wildlife cannot.
Throttle Therapy must stop purposely misleading residents and conduct a professional noise impact survey.
NEW: Powhatan Agricultural & Forestal Advisory Committee Report recommends Throttle Therapy’s CUP be rejected. Report includes noise simulations with images. Throttle Therapy claims the AFD report is based on “false numbers” when it is, in fact, based on the numbers Throttle Therapy themselves cite in their CUP application.
Historical Resources
Finally, the potential impact on our historic resources cannot be ignored. Powhatan County has already experienced issues with trespassing and vandalism related to our many historic resources including old homes, churches, and cemeteries. The amount of increased vehicular traffic and sudden, large influx of tourists is a potential danger to these resources. Because of Powhatan’s rural nature, these historic resources are spread widely throughout our county and must be protected as land is developed.
Areas of the proposed motorsports park are included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resource’s Cultural Resource Preservation Index, rank 2. This index displays the likelihood of a given location to have conservation value when considering known and evaluated cultural heritage resources. (Source: DHR)
Take Action
The next hearing will be held on August 4 at 6 PM at the Village Building Auditorium at 3910 Old Buckingham Road.
On July 7, 2026 the Planning Commission voted to allow a 30 day deferral for Throttle Therapy’s CUP application, in clear opposition to the overwhelming number of Powhatan citizens present. While we disagree with the deferral, it remains a fact that the application is so deficient that it cannot possibly be cured.
Residents will have up to 3 minutes for public comment.
Throttle Therapy is actively trying to drown out our voices by appealing to their mostly out-of-state followers to flood our Board of Supervisors with comments. Please consider showing support by attending!