Joshua Tree Village Neighbors: motocross park is a “rogue business”
A motocross park located off Sunfair Road in Joshua Tree is receiving some attention from a group of residents called the Joshua Tree Village Neighbors. An email and petition from the group was sent out on October 17th urging neighbors to make public comments on an application for a minor use permit applied for by Sunfair 42 MX Park.
In the email, the group says that the parallels to the LoveMore Ranch project are “unmistakable” and they say the motocross track is already operating as a commercial enterprise without the proper environmental review or permits.
The Joshua Tree Village Neighbors are currently involved in a lawsuit with San Bernardino County and developer Axel Kramer of the LoveMore Ranch, a 64-home development planned for a single-family residential zoned lot in Joshua Tree.
The email also included a 29 page community petition regarding the motocross park, which has been in operation since 2022. The petition cites noise and vibration concerns, dust air and water, impacts, fire hazards and wildlife and habitat loss. It also says that the motocross park jeopardizes the cultural and historical integrity of the area, which includes artwork that “depends on silence for its context and meaning.”
The parcel that the motocross track sits on is zoned Single Family Residential RL-5, which according to the San Bernardino County Land Use Plan and Development Code “provides sites for rural residential uses, incidental agricultural uses, and similar and compatible uses.”
Sunfair 42 is owned and operated by Neil Rauschenberg, who says he’s aware of the concerns and said that any suggestions that the motocross park is “rogue or illegally operating” are inaccurate.
In an email sent to Z107.7 News Rauschenberg says that Sunfair 42 operates “transparently and in full cooperation with San Bernardino County officials, following current OHV regulations while our minor use permit moves through the review process.”
We reached out to the Joshua Tree Village Neighbors for a representative to provide a statement, but as of Saturday morning (11/15) our request wasn’t returned.
The Joshua Tree Village Neighbors is described on their website as a fiscally sponsored project of MarinLink, which itself is a 501c3 non-profit based in Marin County.
In response the community concerns, Rauschenberg is holding a tour and Q&A session for Sunfair 42 MX Park this upcoming Monday, November 17 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. He is asking that residents who are interested to RSVP via email to thesunfair42@gmail.com, and that only people who have RSVP’ed will be admitted.
This is a developing story and Z107.7 will report on this as we continue to reach out to all parties involved.
