Davenport, Iowa — Scott County officials were about to take the first step toward allowing an agriculture retail facility, including a 30,000 gallon anhydrous ammonia tank, in an area zoned for agriculture, but opposition from neighbors apparently was the reason Agrium’s Crop Production Services (CPS) withdrew its application just before a hearing was scheduled. “The current zoning is agricultural preservation district and the application was to rezone to ag floating to allow retail businesses in rural parts of the county to serve agriculture purposes,” explained Brian McDonough, Scott County planning and development specialist. “But they (CPS) withdrew that afternoon. So there wasn’t a public hearing.” McDonough said CPS would also have to have approval by the Scott County board of supervisors. “There was no reason stated, but we can assume that the reason was because there were surrounding residents, including six people – two of which owned homes – that were expected to be among a dozen to 30 at the meeting to speak in opposition.” The land, according to the zoning staff report, is not prime farmland. The application requested that the site contain, in addition to the 30,000-gallon above-ground storage tank, one fill station, one above-ground scale, and one attendant station/utility station. The facility was to be open 120 days per year in both the spring and fall months. Some concerns also were raised about the ammonia being available to methamphetamine thieves. But Scott County Sheriff Dennis Conard told the local press that this is no longer the case. Those who make the illegal substance use a “one-pot” method that doesn’t require ammonia. “We don’t have the thievery issues at those places anymore,” Conard stressed. Scott County is the same county where the local zoning board recently voted 6-1 against Orascom Construction Industries’ (OCI) plan to locate its nitrogen plant on a piece of prime farmland. OCI eventually pulled its request and found a site in Wever, in Lee County.
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