The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners approved changes Tuesday that will allow motor sports in the county — under specific conditions.

Commissioners tossed out a host of ideas Tuesday, even pausing briefly on the idea of more study, before settling on a plan to adopt changes proposed with the help of Planning Department and Health Department officials.

But Tuesday’s discussion didn’t end without allegations the regulations were designed to thwart proposed motor sports facilities, a suggestion county officials didn’t take lightly.

The board voted 4-1 to adopt the amendment to the county’s zoning code.

Commissioner Deb Schorr voted against the plan, saying she was concerned its sound regulations could be too restrictive.

Her comments came at the close of the public hearing, which included testimony from officials who helped piece together the amendment and residents, many of whom were supportive of the changes.

Schorr said she believes there is somewhere in the county that can accommodate motor sports.

“If our sound restrictions are going to be the reason it can’t be built, then I can’t support it,” she said of the changes.

The regulations will allow race tracks, drag strips or any other motor sports facility by special permit in the AG agriculture zoning district and prohibit the site’s operation from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m.

The regulations also will prohibit the development of a motor sports project within a half-mile of residential areas, schools, hospitals, churches, parks, cemeteries, acreage areas or land designated as open space in the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

Out of concern of being too restrictive, officials eased back Tuesday on what had been proposed — keeping motor sports a mile from those land uses.

As for noise, officials will measure existing sound levels at homes nearest a proposed motor sports facility.

Daytime noise, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., will be restricted to no more than 10 decibels above that baseline level at the nearest home.

Evening levels, applicable between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., can’t exceed 6 decibels above that measured noise level.

The regulations also prohibit noise from exceeding 81 decibels at the nearest home, no matter what the baseline noise level is.

A normal conversation at three to five feet could measure between 60 decibels and 70 decibels, according to the American Hearing Research Foundation. A lawnmower or truck traffic could produce sounds closer to 90 decibels.

The County Board will retain the power to amend any of the conditions or impose additional conditions in the interest of public health and safety.

The regulations are designed to help officials deal with motor sports proposals, including plans for a drag strip that will come to the board for consideration July 31. Motor sports entrepreneur Greg Sanford has proposed a quarter-mile drag strip off U.S. 77 between Branched Oak and Davey roads.

The proposal has drawn opposition from neighbors concerned about a disruption of their rural lifestyle. Supporters, meanwhile, have pointed to a track’s economic and recreational benefits.

The new regulations will kill Sanford’s plans and any other motor sports proposal, Mark Hunzeker — an attorney representing Sanford — told the board before their vote.

Hunzeker alleged the amendment was designed to be hostile toward motor sports. He challenged commissioners to decide whether they are truly supportive of motor sports in Lancaster County.

In April, the board pledged its aid in the form of “appropriate government resources” to locate and develop a motor sports facility somewhere that maximizes economic benefits and minimizes drawbacks for neighbors.

Hunzeker’s allegation struck a nerve with Mike DeKalb, the county’s planner, who said he took exception to the suggestion the amendment was written to prevent the development of motor sports.

DeKalb defended the amendment, saying officials made every attempt to make it flexible and to address the concerns before them.

Reach Jean Ortiz at 473-7107 or jortiz@journalstar.com.