The Tooele County Planning Commission has reversed itself and now favors granting a conditional use permit to Fassio Egg Farms to consolidate and move its Erda egg-producing operation to a site near Grantsville.
Commissioners, who on Feb. 13 had voted against the permit with one member not in attendance, told a packed meeting Wednesday night that one reason they reopened the issue was to have all members present for the vote.After extensive discussion, the permit for the Burmester Road site was approved 4-3.
Richard Fassio, owner of the egg farm, appealed the Feb. 13 decision and presented additional testimony in support of the move. He told commissioners the operation would be odor- and fly-free.
Lee and Gary Resnick, Burmester Road residents who have fought the relocation, said they may appeal to the County Commission.
Lee Resnick said that members of the audience were denied the opportunity to speak.
"If Mr. Fassio could present new evidence, why couldn't we?" she asked.
Fassio has proposed a new operation on the Burmester Road, just a short distance south of Interstate 80, which would house 500,000 hens.
This is double the size of the present Erda facility, which has been the target of complaints from neighbors in Erda and Stansbury Park.
Dumping of chicken manure at the Burmester Road site has sensitized neighbors to the potential problems in having an egg farm at that location, and more than 200 residents signed a petition asking the planning commission to deny the permit.