(The following story by Chuck Hackenmiller appeared on the Boone Today website on May 3.)
BOONE, Iowa — The concrete railroad tie manufacturing plant won’t be near Jordan in Boone County, but instead developers will focus on establishing its location in other areas, possibly an undisclosed area in Story County.
A public hearing Monday night before the Boone County Zoning Commission, for a petition to amend zoning on property near Jordan from agriculture district to heavy industrial district, was called off in light of objections from nearby property owners. The proposed site of 200 acres of ag land was in section 32 of Jackson Township in Boone County, about 2 1?2 miles east of Boone.
Up to 70 people attended the zoning commission meeting. There were concerns from nearby landowners and from the United Community School District about traffic from the proposed plant, taking prime farm land out of production and about concrete and gravel dust.
Bob Flynn, a realtor working with the company interested in the amended zoning request, said he’s glad to see that the political process works. Obviously, there were residents “who were not interested in the project as we were,” he said.
Eight sites in Boone and Story counties were narrowed down to three sites, Flynn indicated. Several of those eight sites were within or near Boone. The proposed plant, would probably have been in year-round operation for at least 12 years at the Jordan area site.
About 75 to 100 workers would be hired for the plant.
The first consideration by developers of the concrete rail tie plant, he mentioned, was within the two-mile zone outside of Ames in Story County. That proposal fell through, however. The next site under consideration was the Boone County property near Jordan.
Flynn said notice of the public hearing for the amended zoning and site location went to all that they knew who lived up to 500 feet from the proposed property boundaries. The proposed Boone County site had some grade problems that needed to be addressed, but wasn’t enough of a problem that would alter the developer’s interest in the property, he said.
“We didn’t try to mislead anyone,” Flynn said. “We will now fall back on the third location consideration.”
He wouldn’t give a precise location, but he added that it is somewhere between Ames and Nevada. If the plant proposal in Story County falls through, developers will not return to seek the
Jordan area site that was proposed for rezoning, the audience was told.
“It was an idea that was pursued. We’ve listened to you, and we apologize if we have caused you any sleepless nights over this,” Flynn indicated to the audience. “We did not intend to offend anybody.”
There could have been conditions attached to the amended zoning from agriculture to heavy industrial, such as if the proposed concrete tie plant would have halted operations and moved on, then perhaps only another concrete plant could operate in its place.
Also, Boone County Director of Planning and Development indicated that a condition also exist that if the facility wouldn’t have been built in a year, the property would have reverted back to agriculturally-zoned land.
Union Pacific officials said Tuesday that the company uses concrete ties. John Bromley, spokesman for Union Pacific, said the company is in discussions with several suppliers concerning new plant locations.
“No suppliers or locations have been chosen at this time,” Bromley said.
Nelson also reiterated during the zoning commission’s meeting, after discussion of the concrete railroad tie plant, that the present Boone County Comprehensive Plan is in need of amending. It was completed in 1994 and eventually approved in 1999.A thorough comprehensive plan would be instrumental in showing where new development of residential, industrial and commercial projects can exist without restrictions throughout the county.
He said one way amending the comprehensive plan can be achieved is through public forums such as the one Monday night, where ideas and problem areas of proposed developments can be addressed. The county will continue to work toward a well-defined, more restrictive comprehensive plan.
Also Monday, a rezoning request was approved by the zoning commission for Honey Creek Golf Club and Estates, Inc. near Boone. Honey Creek property owners had petitioned that five residential lots on the property be rezoned from R-1 (residential) to R-2 (multi-family residential). The commission will now recommend approval to the Boone County Board of Supervisors. There will be three readings on the proposal before the county supervisors take action.
The zoning commission also heard a proposal for a development on a 30-acre tract of land on the south side of Highway 30 and along W Avenue in far eastern Boone County. Jensen Construction is considering housing offices and its construction equipment on the site, and more have interest in moving to the location. There were concerns expressed about the buffer zone protection for residents living along the proposed development, and the safety issue and congestion of traffic getting on to Highway 30.
A preliminary plat and zoning request of I-1 on the site will be brought to the zoning commission at its next meeting.