County Planning Commission tables meat processing CUP

The McLeod County Planning Advisory Commission is inviting a representative from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to its next meeting.
The commission is hoping to get greater input on a conditional use permit (CUP) application from Mohamed Gaabane, who wants to raise and butcher goats as a home occupation on a farm site in Hale Township, north of Silver Lake in the area of Ideal Avenue and 225th Street.
The commission considered the application at a public hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Zoning Administrator Larry Gasow said the commission’s task was to determine if Gaabane’s proposal was an acceptable use of the property, which consists of about 40 acres. Gaabane is proposing to build an 800-square-foot structure to accommodate the operation, in which he would custom raise and butcher chickens and goats for direct delivery to customers.
Gasow said if the Planning Commission — with final authority of the County Board — allows the use, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will then license, monitor and inspect the business. The Minnesota Department of Health, Gasow said, would monitor the well.
“To me, that’s kind of like putting the cart before the horse,” said Commissioner Ron Shimanski, the County Board’s representative on the Planning Commission. He said he would like to know more about how the state departments would monitor the site before granting the CUP.

For more, see the Nov. 26 print edition of The Chronicle.