Planning commission OKs meat plant

A special use permit for a meat processing plant was approved 7-0 by Douglas County planning commissioners on Tuesday, though with a big caveat.

It turns out that Park Ranch Holdings will have to hook up to sewer or obtain a variance because there’s a sewer line along Buckeye Road.

The Parks are proposing processing 20-60 animals a day inside a 9,320-square-foot portion of an existing 40,391-square-foot barn.

The parcel under the proposal is 41 acres and the barn is roughly 1,500 feet from the property line.

Under county code, if there’s a sewer line within 2,000 feet of a property line, an applicant has to connect to sewer.

Park representative Dave Lundergreen pointed out that the waste would have to be pre-treated and would likely require a lift station to pump to Minden-Gardnerville Sanitation District.

“We’d send it to MGSD, who would process it and send it to the pond where it will irrigate Park fields, and we have to buy it back from them. It’s super hard for us to stomach.”

The line serves Bently Science Park and Orbit Way.

A condition requiring the site to connect to water and sewer prior to a building permit being issued or obtain a variance under Douglas County Code.

Deputy District Attorney Sam Taylor added that should MGSD refuse to serve the plan, the project would be approved to use a commercial sewage disposal system that must be approved by the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection.

Lundergreen urged planning commissioners to decide one way or the other.

“We’d prefer you voted on it today, and put the conditions in there so we know where we stand, and can maybe move forward,” he said. “We haven’t spoken to MGSD and Minden.”