Carson Valley Meats to hold community forum Wednesday regarding proposed meat packing facility
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Tue, 12/07/2021 - 10:12am
Event Date:
December 8, 2021 - 5:00pm
Carson Valley Meats has announced it will hold a community forum to answer any questions from community members regarding the proposed meat processing facility.
The plan was approved at a Planning Commission meeting and was set to go before the Board of Supervisors. However, due to a clerical error at the city level regarding proper notice for the meeting, Carson Valley Meats must return before the Planning Commission and begin the process anew on Dec. 15.
In order to connect with the community prior to the meeting, Carson Valley Meats is planning on hosting a community forum tomorrow, Wednesday Dec. 8 at Adams Hub in Carson City, located at 111 Proctor Street in Carson City from 5 to 7 p.m.
Representatives from the project engineer, Manhard Consulting, and from Carson Valley Meats will be on hand to answer questions from the community in an open-house style event with no formal speaking agenda. The Adams Hub holds 80 people at one time and attendees may come and go as facility capacity allows.
The project area has a Master Plan designation of Mixed-Use Commercial (MUC), is zoned General Industrial (GI) and is surrounded by property that is also zoned GI, according to the Carson City Staff Report published on the Commission’s website.
The project is within Master Plan requirements for new businesses in Carson City, is a conditional use according to Carson City Municipal Code and will provide at least five new jobs to the area, according to Carson Valley Meats.
Opponents to the facility have largely stated that while they are not opposed to a facility itself, they don’t want it in the proposed area. However, many of the claims made by opponents, such as the fact that there will be dangerous practices involved, run off into the rivers, wild-mustang slaughters and “noises like ’Silence of the Lambs’” have largely been debunked by both Carson Valley Meats as well as the city planning department.
Carson Valley Meats states that they hope to clear up any misinformation circulating throughout the community during this forum.
“We want to provide the community with an opportunity to have their questions and concerns answered by the experts, to lay to rest some of the misinformation, misperceptions and unfounded fears about our project circulating on social media and in the news,” Karin Sinclair, owner of Carson Valley Meats, said.
The project site is located in an industrial area with vacant industrial properties to the north and east, and warehouse uses to the east and south. The closest homes to the facility are 900 feet away, according to city staff.
The facility will be limited to harvesting a maximum of 60 animals one day per week with animals on-site for a maximum of 24 hours in the indoor corral system which was stipulated to by Carson Valley Meats at the September Planning Commission meeting.
During special events, such as 4-H Fairs, the facility can process up to a maximum of 120 animals per week for three days each, which will occur no more than three times per year.
The facility will be USDA certified and will be required to obtain and maintain all local, state and federal permits and licenses, including but not limited to a wastewater discharge permit from NDEP, a Nevada Department of Agriculture license to operate, and USDA permits.
Sinclair said Carson Valley Meats supports the “Farm to Table” movement by providing a viable local alternative for both producers and consumers. The project includes a retail counter much like the neighborhood butcher shop.
As of Dec. 6, the Planning Commission September meeting audio and minutes were not published on the Carson City website. The original plan and Carson City staff report that was approved by the Planning Commission in September can be found here: https://carsonvalleymeats.com/carson-city-proposed-processing-facility-g....
Residents interested in getting to know Carson Valley Meats and their proposed project should come by Adams Hub Wednesday evening to learn more information.
