The Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved plans for a new hog farm in Haw Creek Township Monday night, despite several people speaking against the proposal.
Scott Templeton plans to build the more than 40,000 square-foot facility on County Road 700 North. It will house up to 11,000 hogs.
The farm will include a concrete basin under the building for manure storage, rather than a more traditional earthen lagoon. While the land is surrounded mostly by fields, there are two nearby residences.
Sarah Green is the daughter of one of the adjoining landowners. She says her family put off plans for building a small home there because of the proposed confined feeding operation. She says the hog farm doesn’t align with the county’s comprehensive plan, which includes preservation of existing farmland.
"The proposed Templeton CFO would be built in the middle of what is considered prime, tillable farmland," she says.
The county passed new restrictions in 2016 that limit where factory farms can be built. It stipulates they must be at least 500 feet from residential lots in areas zoned for agriculture.
The board approved the zoning request, saying it meets the county’s development standards.
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