Travelers traveling the road from Lake Havasu City to Kingman are sure to find themselves surrounded by a myriad of desert landscapes, with Yucca communities in between. But now travelers may have a new reason to stop there.
The unincorporated community consists of 2.26 square miles along Interstate 40 and has a population of approximately 96 people. The U.S. Census shows that the community’s population has fallen 56% since 2010 as interest in yucca wanes. And because there are so many vacant lots in the area, one land management company chose to take advantage of a desert vacant lot with a motocross course.
The Mojave County Board of Governors voted Monday to approve a special land use permit for a project proposed by Lake Havasu-based Canyonbound Storage Management. The course wraps around his 102.2-acre vacant lot just east of Interstate 40.
According to a project approval resolution filed by Mojave County Director of Development Services Tim Walsh, a special use permit will allow an off-road dirt bike track as permitted by the county’s zoning ordinance. The land is surrounded by vacant lots, some single-family homes, and a truck stop.
Once approved for the project, Canyonbound Storage Management will need to obtain the necessary permits to build the dirt bike course. County approval is revoked if the land is not used for the requested purpose the following year or if the project is canceled for six months.
Canyonbound purchased land last year from Las Vegas-based AZPrime and Mojave HM for $2.5 million. Ryan Rodney, the developer of the Canyon Bound project and his manager at the fund, said in an interview with his Today’s News-Herald last year that the Dirt Bike course would eventually have bigger custom storage and more of his RV park. Said it could be a part. A similar project was proposed last year in the area of Havasu Heights.
“We are really excited,” Rodney said in November. We think it will be an alternative to … a (feature) project that really stands out and that everyone is very excited about is the motocross track.
If county officials determine that a dirt bike course endangers public health, safety, or welfare, the county may withdraw its approval for development on two months’ notice.
