The Story County Board of Supervisors began the process at its Tuesday meeting to rezone a property near Highway 30 to allow concrete crushing, manufacturing and recycling on the site.
The 35 acres of parcels sit just south of the Ames city limits, along Dayton Avenue and south of Highway 30. In the county’s comprehensive plan, the parcels are designated as urban expansion areas and a natural resource area because they include flood plains along the Skunk River.
Currently, the parcels are zoned for a mix of agricultural purposes as well as commercial and light industrial. If the rezoning is approved, both parcels will become zoned for heavy industrial use, allowing Manatt’s Inc., a construction company, to use the site for concrete and asphalt crushing and concrete stockpiling, and for portable concrete batch plants.
The board approved the first consideration of the ordinance with four conditions, including the applicant and the city coming to an annexation agreement, and the applicant working with Story County Conservation to place portions of the property into a conservation easement.
The county’s designations of the parcels as urban expansion and natural resource areas dictate where how land should be developed.
Leanne Harter, director of planning and development for Story County, said county staff believes the rezoning would be in accordance with the urban expansion laid out in the comprehensive plan. Because of the natural resource area, staff recommended setting up a conditional rezoning that would restrict Manatt’s from using the property for other purposes that are typically allowed in heavy industrial zones.
On May 2, the county received a letter from the City of Ames opposing the rezoning because it doesn’t fit with its own comprehensive plan. The city has the area included in a study for a future county/regional park, according to the city’s letter. It also suggested the rezoning ordinance would be inconsistent with the county’s policies on developing land in an urban expansion area.
Supervisor Linda Murken said that if the city and Manatt’s couldn’t reach an annexation agreement, the ordinance would not be approved.
David Jensen, a Huxley resident and owner of the former Cyclone Truck Stop just east of the the property, opposed the rezoning.
“I would like to note that this piece of ground is designated as urban expansion area and natural resource area. In the urban expansion area, the number one principle is development in the area expansion occurs in accordance with the applicable city’s future land use plans and goals,” Jensen said. “I guess I would ask staff, does this zoning comply with that principle?”
In the last several years, Manatt’s has been using the site for stockpiling and manufacturing materials, as allowed by a conditional use permit offered by the county. The last permit expired in 2021, and required Manatt’s to remove all materials and manufacturing activity from the property by the end of 2024.
Jensen referred to the county’s comprehensive plan, asking whether the rezoning fits principles such as avoiding development on areas with natural resource designations.
Harter said Manatt’s is currently undergoing a process to remove the property’s designation as a special flood plain, which would eliminate the natural resource designation.
Currently, the timeframe for possible rezoning has not been determined.
“The way we drafted the conditions of approval, that will be dictated by the city and the applicant,” Harter said. “If it’s done by June then we’ll be back here whenever that first Tuesday is in June. It could be October.”
