Biodiesel rezoning gets OK
Fulton County Commissioners Monday approved rezoning of 32 acres near County Line Landfill from agricultural to industrial for a biodiesel plant.

Green Fuels Inc., a Delaware corporation with an office in Indianapolis, hopes to build a plant at the site, southwest of Indiana 110 and County Road 200 East, and produce as much as 20 million gallons of biodiesel each year. It would use clean white grease - rendered animal fat - or a variety of oils as feedstock.

Jimmy and Suzanne Swan own the property. They have not spoken at any of the meetings about the rezoning.

The approval was unanimous. Noting opposition from one person in the audience, commissioners said they have to balance what's best for the community as a whole - development and jobs - with neighbor concerns.

The immediate area of the plant will continue to draw interest from developers, said Fulton Economic Development Corp. Director Shane Blair, because of its proximity to a rail line, U.S. 31 and Indiana 110 and methane from County Line Landfill as a ready fuel source.

Ryan Stutzman, the only citizen at the meeting, asked commissioners to reject the rezoning. He said it will change his life forever.

"It gets really personal when I'm going to lose about everything I've got," Stutzman said. He has a three-acre homestead at 20981 Hawthorne Road, north of the site, in Marshall County.

Commissioner Roger Rose said he wasn't sure what Stutzman stands to lose. Stutzman showed photographs of vacant homes surrounding County Line Landfill which are now owned by Allied Waste. He believes his property values will fall in a similar fashion.

A homestead adjacent to an industrial area, he said, isn't worth as much as a larger piece of property for development. "There's nobody going to buy that house for what it appraises at," Stutzman said. "Is the best place for it somewhere where it will hurt people? It will hurt people."

Stutzman said that if Green Fuels doesn't build, or stay, there, the zoning is changed regardless. Any number of industrial applications could be on the property.

There are five homes within one-eighth of a mile of the property, according to County Plan Director Casi Cramer. Stutzman said proximity to the property and proximity to the plant are two different things. Some homes are quite close to the proposed building site.

"I want to appeal to your human nature," Stutzman said. "Picture yourself living where I live."

He said he does not believe the proposed plant fits with the character of the neighborhood and a decision to rezone the farm land is not promoting responsible development and the wellbeing of the neighbors.

Commissioners included eight commitments:
• Install a turn lane on Indiana 110, where the main plant entrance will be.
• Trucks are to enter from Indiana 110 unless there is a highway emergency. Vehicles are to enter from County Road 200 East.
• Truck traffic is not allowed between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m.
• Lights are to be reduced or dimmed between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. Green Fuels board member Len D. Robinson agreed earlier to turn overhead lights off.
• Excessive odor or particulate from the plant will not be allowed.
• The county has the right to enforce the conditions through its zoning laws.
• The company must give right-of-way land to the county if needed for road improvements.
• Any other businesses on the property must be reviewed by the technical review committee and fit in the agricultural setting.

There is no commitment concerning noise on the property, although there was discussion about noise from truck and rail traffic. The manufacturing process is indoors, Cramer said.

Robinson said plant designs are to be done by mid-April. It is expected to operate around the clock and employ eight people at $15 or more per hour.