MONROE - The city council is poised to possibly change city codes to open the door for Zuber's Sausage Kitchen to move to the city's North Business and Industrial Park.
The City of Monroe Judiciary and Ordinance Review Committee Monday recommended the adoption of an ordinance amending the Monroe City Code involving conditional uses in the M-3 industrial park district.
Council is expected tomorrow to set the public hearing for May 18.
According to City Attorney Rex Ewald, the change would delete the permitted uses category and move those uses into conditional uses, allowing the Plan Commission to consider all uses in the industrial park on an individual basis.
"The amendment grew out of consideration of the Zuber project," Ewald said, to committee members.
On March 10, Zuber's Sausage Kitchen, which makes Zuber's Original Landjaeger, a popular dried sausage, came before the Plan Commission requesting to move from 18th Avenue to the industrial park by Nov. 1.
City codes currently do not permit the processing, packaging and manufacturing of meat and meat products, fish and fish products, and sauerkraut and cabbage by-products in industrial parks (M-3 zones).
Plan Commissioner Nate Klassy was on the panel that set up some of the city zoning codes.
"That code was set up to prevent canning factories," he said.
When the code was written, Jerry Ellefson, past Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent, did not want food particles from large industrial processing coming into the treatment plant, Klassy said.
Zuber's Sausage Kitchen is not a butchering or slaughtering business; owner Jim Zuber said he gets meats already cut up and packaged to make the Landjaegers, so there would be no meat products in the sewer system.
Zuber plans to add five more employees in the next three years.
The City of Monroe Judiciary and Ordinance Review Committee Monday recommended the adoption of an ordinance amending the Monroe City Code involving conditional uses in the M-3 industrial park district.
Council is expected tomorrow to set the public hearing for May 18.
According to City Attorney Rex Ewald, the change would delete the permitted uses category and move those uses into conditional uses, allowing the Plan Commission to consider all uses in the industrial park on an individual basis.
"The amendment grew out of consideration of the Zuber project," Ewald said, to committee members.
On March 10, Zuber's Sausage Kitchen, which makes Zuber's Original Landjaeger, a popular dried sausage, came before the Plan Commission requesting to move from 18th Avenue to the industrial park by Nov. 1.
City codes currently do not permit the processing, packaging and manufacturing of meat and meat products, fish and fish products, and sauerkraut and cabbage by-products in industrial parks (M-3 zones).
Plan Commissioner Nate Klassy was on the panel that set up some of the city zoning codes.
"That code was set up to prevent canning factories," he said.
When the code was written, Jerry Ellefson, past Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent, did not want food particles from large industrial processing coming into the treatment plant, Klassy said.
Zuber's Sausage Kitchen is not a butchering or slaughtering business; owner Jim Zuber said he gets meats already cut up and packaged to make the Landjaegers, so there would be no meat products in the sewer system.
Zuber plans to add five more employees in the next three years.