Aurora Organic Dairy another step closer to conditional use permit

    Despite concerns voiced by neighboring property owners, Aurora Organic Dairy gained approval in the first step towards a conditional use permit (CUP)  for a 2,880-head dairy.
    The Chase County Planning Commission held a public hearing last Thursday on the proposed facility to be located northwest of Imperial.
    About 40 people attended the hearing, held in the county courtroom.
    Planning commission members voted 4-1 to advance the application for a further hearing and a decision by the county commissioners.
    Those voting in favor of advancing the application included chair Charley Colton, John Arterburn, David Bauerle and Shannon Hamilton. Member Clint Johnson voted against the motion.
    Johnson said later he wasn’t convinced the layout plan was complete enough to act on.
    Member Shona Heim was at the hearing but was unable to be present when the discussion and vote were held.
    The committee approved an amendment to the motion requiring that any building housing animals at the facility must also be outside the one-mile setback.
    The organic dairy is applying for a Class II CUP, which allows for up to 5,000 animal units. This permit requires a one-mile setback from neighboring residences. The setback is calculated from the corner of the home nearest the facility.
    In the county zoning regulations, an animal unit is measured by the amount of manure produced by a cow/calf pair or one head of feeder cattle ready for slaughter.
    Since a dairy cow produces 30 percent more manure than either of these two, the maximum capacity for a dairy with a Class II permit is 3,500.
    In addition to the 2,880 head of milking cows, the facility will also hold up to 620 head of dry cows, heifers and calves.
    During the hearing, Chair Colton asked people to identify themselves and present their question to the commission or the dairy’s representatives present at the meeting.
    At one point, Colton noted that issues being raised did not deal directly with the zoning question. He noted those concerns would best be addressed during the commissioner’s hearing.
    That hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 27 at 10:30 a.m. at the courtroom.

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