The owner of a local salvage yard saw his request to rezone several acres of land he owns near the regional landfill fail during the Webster County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday.
Dennis Frank, owner of Frank’s Auto Salvage, submitted a request to rezone about 23 acres of land located between the regional landfill and the Des Moines River. Currently, the land is zoned for mineral extraction, being previously used for gypsum mining. Frank requested to rezone the land for industrial use, so that he could expand his auto and appliance salvage operation, which is located just to the west of this site.
On Tuesday, Jeff Johnson, planning and zoning administrator, presented the recommendation of the Zoning Board to deny Frank’s request.
“As you can see from this aerial photo taken in 2011, the property was 90 percent free and clear of debris and junk as we move to a more recent era photo here in 2019, one could notice that there’s been an encroachment of miscellaneous junk and debris on the property over the years,” Johnson said.
Frank was issued a notice of violation letter from the Webster County Planning and Zoning Department last September that required he remove all the materials off the property.
“The applicant has decided to pursue changes in zoning to clear the situation, as opposed to removing all the materials at this time,” Johnson said.
Attorney Ernie Kersten, speaking on behalf of Frank, told the board that there is no other possible use for the land — it’s been completely stripped of its topsoil and has little other value.
Sandra Brennan, who owns the property to the south of Frank’s parcel, opposed the rezoning request. She addressed the supervisors Tuesday, stating her concerns that the expansion of the salvage yard would bring too much traffic to the area and create more road congestion. She said she was also concerned about her well water and possibly contamination from the run-off of hazardous materials.
Webster County Supervisor Keith Dencklau was the lone supervisor to voice support for Frank’s request. He emphasized the value Frank’s business brings to the community, giving residents somewhere to recycle their old appliances and machinery for no cost. Without that option, people are likely to dump the items in rural districts in the county.
“They’re going to take it out and dump it in the ditch, and then we’re going to have to pick it up and we’re going to have to pay for it,” he said.
Dencklau motioned to approve the rezoning request, but the motion died for lack of a second, effectively denying the request.
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