City planners OK permit for remote-control racers
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
A local couple’s attempt to make their hobby store a destination spot for remote-control car racers got a shot of nitro March 10 when the city’s Plan Commission approved a special permit that allows them to build an indoor racetrack at their downtown Burlington shop.
Kristen and Scott Parks, owners of Hounds Detectors and Hobbies at 456 Milwaukee Avenue, received unanimous approval from the commission for their request for a conditional use permit to operate the track.
The dirt track will be built in the portion of the building that formerly served as a warehouse for Schuette-Daniels furniture store. The building is owned by Matt Daniels and leased to the Parks.
Kristen Parks explained the building is suitable for the weight of a clay track because it was originally built as a showroom for automobiles.
The track will be approximately 10-feet wide and the configuration will change from time to time with sanctioning by ROAR – the Remotely Operated Auto Racers organization. The track can accommodate up to six cars at a time.
Racers will enter through the couple’s retail store and will be allowed access to the track for a fee or through a purchase of a membership, according to the couple.
In addition to open track time, the store will host competitive races as many as three days per week, Kristen Parks said.
The cars are up to 12 inches long and 8 inches wide and operate on battery power. The cars have an average cost of $300, according to Scott Parks, but can cost much more.
He said there are few indoor tracks in the area, which tends to make such facilities destination points for enthusiasts. He said the closest tracks to Burlington are in Brookfield and Rockford, Ill.
The largest portion of the couple’s business comes from the sale of metal detectors, Scott Parks said, but they expect the remote-control car aspect to grow once the track opens.
The hobby shop has been in Burlington for three years – first in a storefront in the Chestnut Street Loop – before moving to the current location last year.
“This started as a hobby,” Scott Parks said.
Kristen Scott said the couple is anticipating opening the track this summer.
The permitted hours for the track are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Storage also OK’d
The commission also granted the couple permission to use the rear of the building to store equipment for their other business – Scott’s Pressure Washing Service.
They requested a conditional use permit to store trailers, campers and tools associated with the masonry pressure washing business, which is currently housed in Muskego.
Kristen Parks explained that the rear of the building, with access off a parking lot, is sufficient to house all of the firm’s equipment – meaning none of it will be left outside.
“The building is big enough for us to put everything we own inside of it,” Kristen Parks said.
The couple anticipates replacing the double doors at the rear of the building with an overhead garage door. The work will have to be approved by the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.
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