Gordon Park Speedway will soon get a sister track for motocross racing.

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On Tuesday, Columbia County commissioners approved a rezoning for a nearly 21-acre lot at 3165 Gordon Highway, near the speedway, that will allow for a motocross dirt bike racing track.

County planning staff noted in its recommendation to commissioners that a precedent for racing in the area already has been established and that it is not near "established neighborhoods."

Some residents disputed that. Alexander Jackson told commissioners that the track, to be called Augusta MX, is within 200 yards of the Liberty Hills subdivision, and W.D. Bryson said nearly 200 people live within a half-mile of Augusta MX.

Both complained that the motorcycles' noise levels would be a nuisance for residents.

"The citizens can just take so much," Bryson said.

A caveat included in the planners' recommendation, and adopted by commissioners, was that noise levels must not exceed 60 decibels when measured 500 yards from the center of the track. That level is equivalent to a typical conversation between two people standing a foot apart, according to www.coolmath.com.

Another restriction included as a condition of approval is that all riding must end by 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and by 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Commissioners warned track owners Chris Folgman and Ralph Hilliard, of Georgia MX Track Builders, that the conditions will be strictly enforced.

"We are aware there may be challenges, but we are willing to work those problems out as they come about," Folgman said.

Hilliard said it would be at least a month before the track is ready. Until then, motocross races, including a race Sunday, will be held at Gordon Park Speedway, he said. Folgman and Hilliard are the new managers of Gordon Park.

The first construction phase would include building a dirt track and parking lot, according to county documents. Subsequent construction would include restrooms, a storage building and lighting equipment.