JBS cleared yet another hurdle Monday as the Marshalltown Board of Adjustment granted the company a special use permit toward expanding the pork processing plant.
But there were some conditions.
Noise can't exceed the current levels of the property, appropriate security lighting has to be installed, and parking along Tenth Avenue - which includes a security gate - has to be removed.
Also, engineers must install white-embossed, insulated metal panels to diffuse reflections while all new lighting has to be directed downward and controlled.
Plans will have to be reviewed by the Site Plan Review Board when all documentations are complete, and JBS will have to comply with all city requirements.
"Those are conditions we can work with and consider every step of the way," said General Manager Troy Mulgrew. "We thank the community and will continue to make this project a very successful one for moving the plant into the future."
That leaves one important issue - how tall the new expansion will be, but therein lies a problem.
The company's original intent is to build its facility 80 feet in height, but the city's current zoning restricts structures to a maximum of 50 feet.
"The zoning requirements were put in place in the 1950s, so that means the city is out of sync with our competition," according to Human Resources Director Tony Harris.
It was advised to compare structure height with other similar cities, he said, and "those were as high as 100 feet, so we're out of step here."
The Planning and Zoning Commission will now debate on whether to change current limitations. If not, JBS will have to reduce the height of the building.
"When that's hammered out, we'll then be able to determine whether we'll be able to comply with the height requirement," Harris said.
The city sold Margaret T. French Park to JBS Nov. 23 for plans of building a multi-million dollar cold storage distribution center.
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Contact Tammy R. Lawson at 641-753-6611 or tlawson@timesrepublican.com
