At the Feb 3rd Planning and Zoning meeting they recommended approval of the zoning for the property that formerly operated as a drag strip. This is an exciting development for any of us hoping to see the return of drag racing at the property.
As news spread throughout social media there was a feeling of excitement, but a lot of, so does this mean the Atlanta Dragway is reopening?
There are still a lot of steps, including formal approval of the zoning by the commission. So let’s dive into some more details on what is going on here.
What Does Approval Mean And Why Was It Necessary
First, let’s talk about why this step was important. While there has been plenty of news about attempts to develop and even rezone the property had failed, a common question is why is the rezoning request even necessary?
While nobody has come right out and said it, when a property has changed hands with the intention of changing uses, technically until new zoning is approved, the old zoning applies. We are not aware of any approved zoning changes to the original property that were approved, as most were shot down. So rezoning the property for it to operate as it original use may not technically be necessary.
However, this is common approach developers will take when purchasing or considering the purchase of a property. But having the zoning reaffirmed by the county, and allowing resident and community feedback, it reduces the chances the property is mired in lawsuits and community outrage.
Does This Mean Atlanta Dragway Is Reopening?
It’s a great sign. But does not mean it’s a done deal. First, zoning is often a very early step in the process. In fact, we’ve yet to see confirmation the property has changed hands. Which means either NHRA would need to restart the use, or as rumored it might be sold to IHRA, which has been buying up property. That transaction would need to close first. As noted above, the zoning approval is generally a step just after or just before a property is sold.
As most know, the original media tower was torn down and the state of the racing surface itself is probably at best damaged from lack of maintenance.
There are still more government approvals necessary to restore the property to a functioning drag strip. These typically come in the form of building and land disturbance permits. Any sale of the property would likely need to be complete so the new owners can submit permits. Even significant restoration of what is still behind requires permits.
So we’d say it’s a great move in the right direction, and we’d expect more news to come out about future plans. What those are, how quickly they materialize and whether it means we’ll see a return of Fast Fridays remains to be seen. But its hard to argue with the idea that there is little chance the property owners or potential buyers are going through all of this effort to affirm the existing zoning just to sell it another multi-use developer who will need to request rezoning.
Original Article About The Planning Meeting
Pictures, screen shots and news articles are making their rounds. Banks County Planning Commission at their February 3rd meeting will discuss allowing the former Atlanta Dragway property to be used as a race track. It’s also expected to be discussed during the Board Of Commissioners meeting on February 10th.
Does this mean the track is reopening? No, not necessarily just yet. However, after a number of failed attempts at rezoning and developing as mixed used, the 318 acre former drag strip may get a new lease on life as a drag strip. Those involved indicated it’s a step in the process, but not a done deal just yet.
The track has been tied to operator IHRA this year, who successfully purchased Memphis International Raceway, got zoning approved and is already starting construction on it. Their goal is to have the track functional enough to host an IHRA race later this year.
Atlanta was rumored to be on the 2026 schedule. We actually asked IHRA about it. Still with most of the main facilities removed, including the main control tower its possible Atlanta Dragway may reopen, but also it may not reopen in 2026.
Featured image sourced from Facebook, used purely for discussion purposes.
