A planned expansion of the Miller Poultry operation on the city’s south side was allowed to move forward Tuesday during a meeting of the Goshen Board of Zoning Appeals.
At the meeting, board members approved a request by Pine Manor Inc./Miller Poultry, Abonmarche Consultants Inc. and DJ Construction for a use variance needed in order to allow the continued expansion of a nonconforming use, expanding a hatchery in a B-1 District with up to 36,230 square feet of additional building space in four phases with additional parking and maneuvering areas and up to 25 employees, and to allow the variance to be valid until April 6, 2027.
According to Rossa Deegan, assistant planning and zoning administrator for the city, the subject property has operated as a poultry/hatchery business at 2704 S. Main St. since 1947.
“The property is zoned Commercial B-1 and is surrounded by residential uses and zoning to the north and west, a city bike path and railroad to the east, and commercial businesses and Bethany Christian School to the south,” Deegan told the board. “Improvements on the property include a primary hatchery facility and a detached structure with a footprint totaling approximately 52,000 square feet, paved parking and maneuvering aisles with access from Main Street, and open loading docks at the south end of the main building.
“Much of the property is open lawn space along the east and north sides,” he added. “The owners of the property also own three parcels — 2706, 2708 and 2712 S. Main St. — to the west of the facility which are not part of the hatchery use. These properties are similarly zoned B-1 and include two residences.”
Deegan noted that hatcheries are classified under “Poultry Dressing, Packing and Processing,” and are allowed as conditional uses in the Industrial M-1 and M-2 Districts only. They are not permitted in commercial districts, such as the one covering 2704 S. Main St., so any expansion of the business at its currently location is considered expansion of nonconforming use, requiring a use variance.
As part of Tuesday’s approval, the board’s members also agreed to grant the petitioners relief from landscaping standards that require partial landscaping along the north and west property lines adjacent to residential uses.
The requested use variance was approved unanimously.
