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Amendment revised for slaughterhouse
BY CYNTHIA B. COLEMAN • STAFF WRITER
 | | In their joint work session, the Highland County Supervisors, the Highland County Planning Commission and Monterey Town Council listen while Robin Sullenberger makes a point in regards to the proposed slaughterhouse amendment. Pictured from left (beginning at table's head) are: Roberta Lambert, county administrator; Jerry Rexrode, supervisor; David Blanchard, supervisor; Robin Sullenberger, supervisor; Janice Warner, Monterey mayor; Francis Fenn, town councilman; Bill Niswander (slightly hidden by Fenn), councilman; Donald Dowdy, councilman; Doug Gutshall, planner; and Melissa Dowd, county attorney. (Recorder photo by Cynthia B. Coleman) |
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MONTEREY - As they took their seats, members of the Highland board of supervisors, the planning commission and Monterey Town Council chatted and chuckled among themselves setting the tone for the meeting ahead - one of serious but good-natured debate about the fate of zoning for slaughterhouses.
During Tuesday's joint work session, the three county entities had before them the task of hammering out the fine details of the zoning ordinance amendments related to slaughterhouses. Ultimately, the officials agreed to three central changes in Highland's zoning ordinances: Allowing such facilities in an A-2 agricultural and M-1 industrial zone; reducing the setback requirement from 200 to 100 feet, and changing the term "lot line" to "property line."
County administrator Roberta Lambert had the group review an outline of administrative procedures for joint public meetings, saying that often the process of a joint meeting "is where the problems are." Lambert said, "It seems in most localities the area where they end up having trouble is in the process; that is usually where individuals lose in court or end up being challenged, over the process itself."
Lambert gave the order of presentations. "Following the opening of the public hearing, we start with the staff report, depending on what type of public hearing it is. After that we usually give an applicant 10 minutes É or longer (if given permission) to make a presentation. Then we go to the comments from the public, which if an individual is making a comment, they will have three minutes unless given permission to speak longer. The rules allow an individual six minutes if he or she represents a group."
Following the public portion of the meeting, the individual governing bodies would each close their meetings so any actions on applications can take place. The order of application action begins with the planning commission and then goes to the board of supervisors, which is followed by the town council.
After Lambert's procedural review, representatives from each group made comments and asked questions regarding the slaughterhouse and the zoning ordinance amendment. Most of those concerned fences, cattle containment areas, and setbacks.
Concern was expressed over the term "fences" because in the current zoning ordinance, under the definition of a structure, a fence could be considered a structure.
The zoning ordinance defines a structure as "anything constructed or erected, the use of which requires a location on the ground, or attached to something having a location on the ground."
One individual said he had a concrete pad installed that was defined as a structure using that definition.
If fences could be defined as structures then "a fence could be part of a (slaughterhouse) facility," another said, which would defy the setback ordinance.
Melissa Dowd, town and county attorney, said the law does not favor uncertainty. "The point is," she said, "to make a balance and walk between predictability and protection." In other words, the group needed to set guidelines prospective businesses and investors could follow while also protecting the county and town.
The town of Monterey is protected by conditional use permits, which are enacted by a case-by-case action. Highland County, in order to protect itself, needed to fine-tune the proposed amendment. It did so by changing the zones where a conditional use slaughterhouse would be permitted, changing the setback allotment and redefining the setback line, Dowd explained
The proposed amendment for Highland County would allow for slaughterhouses in the agricultural general district A-2, and light industrial district M-1, and no longer allow them in business zones. The setback amount was changed from 200 feet to 100 feet. Also changed was the term "lot line" to "property line."
The revised amendment will be submitted for review by the planning commission. Supervisor Robin Sullenberger made the resolution - seconded by David Blanchard - and the board of supervisors unanimously adopted it. The planning commission will set the public hearing for the revised amendment.
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