Members of the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors recently approved proposed turkey houses while the Buckingham County Planning Committee introduced a zoning amendment application for poultry facilities.

The board of supervisors approved the turkey houses by applicant Joel Steinruck during its meeting Dec. 18. No members of the public spoke during the hearing. The turkey houses would be located at Route 622, Sharon Church Road in the northern portion of the county.

Steinruck requested a rezoning for the 114.86-acre property from Agricultural-1 (A-1) to Agricultural Comprehensive (AC-1) for the purpose of operating turkey houses.

“The rezoning to Agriculture Comprehensive for turkey houses was recommended for approval with a 6-0 vote,” Planning/Zoning Administrator Rebecca Cobb said in a previous Herald report.

“The application indicates that he will have approximately 30,000 turkeys and will be able to meet the ordinance setback requirements,” the planning commission board packet cited.

There are seven conditions for the project that include that the turkey houses comply with federal, state and local regulations, including obtaining a Nutrient Management Plan and Erosion and Sediment Control Plan before installing the facility.

The turkey houses, according to the applicant in the meeting board packet, will be 63 feet by 704 feet. Each house would contain approximately 15,000 birds, the packet cited. The operation of the houses will be family-run.

The Buckingham County Planning Commission, according to its Dec. 17 meeting board packet, introduced an application from Benjamin Manis for a zoning amendment to construct an intensive poultry facility.

The facility would be located on approximately 100 acres on Deer Run Road.

The property is currently zoned A-1. The zoning ordinance in the county requires that intensive farming facilities be zoned AC-1.

The application cites that the project will include two poultry houses, feed bins and a liter shed, a memo from the county cited. “The applicant has indicated that he will be able to meet the ordinance setback requirements.”

There were seven conditions set out by the county should the poultry facility be approved. Some of the conditions include that the applicant obtain a Nutrient Management Plan and Erosion and Sediment Control Plan prior to installing the facility, that the facility follow federal, state and local regulations, and that any violations of the conditions could lead to a stop order and discontinuation of the rezoning approval.

The applicant would build the poultry facility for Cargill Foods.