Ag-Land FS seeks county approval to expand dry fertilizer storage at Hartsburg

 

[March 08, 2022] 

At the Logan County Board’s March Planning and Zoning Committee meeting, one focus of discussion was a proposed business expansion at Ag-Land FS in Hartsburg.

Committee members present were Board Chairman Emily Davenport, Planning and Zoning Committee Chairman David Hepler, David Blankenship, Keenan Leesman and Annette Welch.

Guest were Ag-Land FS representatives Eric Long and Mark Pedigo. Others in attendance were George Mencken and Board Vice Chairman Scott Schaffenacker.

Long and Pedigo shared their tentative expansion plans with the committee.

To provide background, Long said Ag-Land FS is a retail agricultural supply company. Ag-Land FS has locations in both Logan and Tazewell counties.

In a nutshell, Long said the company is trying to become more efficient. There are four facilities in Logan County, and they would like to consolidate some of what they do there. They would like to have a place to store more dry fertilizer.

In 2015, Ag-Land FS purchased 10 acres to the south of their existing property in Hartsburg. There is already a fertilizer plant there and they are looking to expand the Hartsburg facility.

The area is zoned for agriculture. Pedigo said the fertilizer plant would go south of the building there now. It would not be done and ready until sometime in 2023.

The expansion process started in 2015, but Long said they ran into roadblocks when they tried to get zoning permits. The company later ended up putting a dry shed in Tazewell County at their Green Valley location.

Now, Long said they would like to get the ball rolling again on expanding in Logan County.

Previously, Blankenship said a railroad crossing near the entrance to the property was the holdup. Ag-Land FS was told previously they would have to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals.
 

There was a suggestion that crossing arms were needed [where drivers head from 121 into Hartsburg]. Blankenship said people have been crossing that road and getting semis in and out for years without problem.

Since people have crossed there for years, Blankenship wondered why they would be forced to get guardrails. He does not feel the company needs to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals to get approval.

With the grain elevators there as drivers enter Hartsburg, Pedigo said many trucks already go through that crossing. The company already has an easement to go to first street in Hartsburg.

Blankenship is not sure why the company would need to pay undue expenses just because they have added dry goods to their facility. He feels the previous decision was not business friendly.

With the county losing population, Blankenship said the county should be inviting businesses to come here.

If Ag-Land FS were going across with explosives like ammonium nitrate, increasing traffic flow tremendously or imposing risks on the residential area, Blankenship said he might think differently.

At the railroad crossing being referenced, Leesman said it does have lights and signs.

One question Schaffenacker had was about the railroad’s take on the issue since it is not a public road.

The Zoning Board of Appeals made the recommendation about the railroad crossing and Long said they were going by that. Before issuing a permit, previous Logan County Zoning Officer Will D’Andrea wanted them to talk to the railroad about some of the issues. Though Long reached out the railroad, he was not able to get responses from the railroad about it.
 

The company did get an estimate on what it would take to put crossing arms in. Long said they found out it would cost half a million dollars to install the crossing arms and the company would have to pay for it.

If anyone were to get hit, Schaffenacker said it would not be on a public road. Ag-Land FS would be liable for anything that happens.

Pedigo said Ag-Land FS has the easement agreement with the railroad, which is over 20 years old. The agreement shows the company is liable for that crossing and has a certain amount of insurance to cover that. The company also has insurance documents that would cover any accident that might happen there.

There is an ample amount of space to cross by the railroad tracks. Long said there would never be a vehicle waiting on 121 to cross those tracks. A train goes by just twice a day.

When Ag-Land was granted an easement, Blankenship said the railroad knew what products the company carried. He feels if there was a liability issue, the railroad would not have granted the easement.
 

Because of questions, Pedigo said they wanted the committee’s guidance on zoning. The area is zoned agricultural. What they need is a building permit for a large fertilizer plant. The costs to build the facility would run about $6 million, so it would take a while to build.

Since the work is ag related, Hepler feels it may not be necessary to have a zoning change.

If they sent the issue back to the Zoning Board of Appeals, Welch said the ZBA would just recommend whether to approve the permit. The board has the final decision and could overrule what the ZBA previously asked. She does not want the company to have another holdup.

The company is in a business district, which is zoned B1. Blankenship has looked the B1 ordinance over and has yet to find anything that would restrict the company from building. Blankenship said he is a big believer that if something is not expressly written in a zoning ordinance, it is pretty hard to place conditions on it.

To see what is in the B1 Zoning Ordinance, Blankenship encouraged the committee members to read it. Blankenship feels the company’s plans meet the spirit and intent of the zoning district and complies with the conditions in the ordinance. For example, Ag-Land FS would have off street parking and proper setbacks.

Before a permit is issued, Hepler said he would like to see more plans.

Schaffenacker asked if they have a layout of the finished building.

Right now, Long said they are working with Growmark on traffic flow and drainage issues. The companies will do whatever it takes to make sure there is not more deterioration of the roadway.

In that area, Leesman said drainage is a problem for the village in general. There has been some backflow where the elevator is, and the village has tried to resolve this ongoing issue.

To help get the water to flow correctly, Pedigo said they may need to do something on their property to assist with it.

What Welch would like to see is an estimation of the finished product.

Ag-Land FS could show the board what they are envisioning. However, Long said they are not exactly sure where the building will sit on the property. They need to know more about the traffic flow, soil, and drainage issues before deciding.

The issue will be put on April’s Planning and Zoning Committee agenda for more discussion. That will allow the committee to do more research before they meet next month. Hepler said the committee could decide then whether change is necessary.

If needed, Long said Growmark could come back with the Ag-Land next month and provide more information.

[Angela Reiners]

Past related articles:

Dec. 2015 - Fertilizer warehouse and blending facility for Hartsburg gets pending approval from ZBA


Dec 2015 - No show leads to no recommendation for fertilizer warehouse and blending facility near Hartsburg (Logan County Regional Planning Commission)