Lime Rock Park suit now in state Supreme Court

LIME ROCK — The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the long-running Lime Rock Park dispute on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Lime Rock Park, the auto racing track, the Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) and the Lime Rock Citizens Council have been in court for more than four years over several issues, most prominently that of allowing racing on Sundays.

Charles Anders, the attorney for the P&Z, said in an email to P&Z Chairman Michael Klemens (who shared it with The Journal, see Page A11) that if the last major land use case before the court is any guide, a decision won’t be announced until the summer of 2020, some eight months from now.

Lime Rock Park’s days and hours of operation have been governed by a 1959 court injunction, which prohibits racing on Sundays.

The injunction has been modified over the years, but the Sunday racing ban has remained.

The court will decide on three appeals, one from each group, of the 2018 decision that allows Sunday racing.

The P&Z and the LRCC are appealing the Sunday racing, and LRP is appealing the decision on noise regulations.

The larger issue is whether or not state law overrides local zoning regulations.