The Butchertown Neighborhood Association's long battle against JBS/Swift's meat processing plant continually abusing the rules will have yet another flashpoint on Monday morning at 8:30am in the Old Jail Building, 514 W. Liberty Street, in downtown Louisville.

The Louisville Board of Zoning Adjustment (BOZA) will be considering the following two matters (taken from their agenda sheet):

Quote:

CASE NO. B-14–69 (#12323) A Revocation Hearing of the Conditional Use Permit that allows a meat packing plant, including the slaughtering of animals and the processing, packaging, and storing of meats on property known as 1100 Story Avenue and being in Louisville Metro. Appellant: JBS USA, LLC – Keith Strunk & John Cliff Attorney: Glenn Price COUNCIL DISTRICT 4—David Tandy Staff Case Mgr: Steve Hendrix, Planning Supervisor

This could be when it's decided (or not) that the Swift facility is to be relocated out of the urban core, where it no longer makes sense to be located. The conditional use permit the plant currently operates under applied to the facility before its recent illegal expansion. The Swift plant hasn't been acting as a good neighbor in what its adherents are calling "our neighborhood".

Quote:

CASE NO. B-13158–09 An Appeal of a staff written determination by the Department of Codes and Regulations concerning the temporary staging of sealed trailers containing products awaiting delivery to various off-site locations on properties known as 139, 141, 143, 151, and 201 Cabel Street and 1331 Quincy Street and being in Louisville Metro. Appellant: Butchertown Neighborhood Assoc., Inc. Attorney: Jonathan Salomon COUNCIL DISTRICT 4—David Tandy Staff Case Mgr: Steve Hendrix, Planning Supervisor

This is all about Swift's illegal storage of meat in off-site trailers. Certainly a minor matter compared to the first case, and perhaps even obviated (I would think) if a decision against Swift is made in the first case.

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And now there's a new complaint coming from the neighborhood association. On November 11, Christopher Hall at Louisville Mojo reported that Swift is "rinsing bloody water on the ground and into the city's drainage system."

Quote:

Neighborhood association attorney Jon Salomon sent a letter to city officials alleging that workers for JBS USA, formerly the Swift Pork Co., are engaging in "inappropriate and disturbing activity," including rinsing out truck trailers that may contain slaughter byproducts like animal blood, which "appears to be in noncompliance with...requirements for premises sanitation and industrial discharges."

The hits don't seem to stop coming from this "friendly" neighbor, Swift, the pig processing plant.

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Beyond discussing this upcoming meeting, where do you think the plant should be relocated? It would seem that we're at a point where we likely have a foregone conclusion. Or am I missing something?

Steve Magruder — LouHI Administrator and web programmer


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stevemagruder wrote:

Beyond discussing this upcoming meeting, where do you think the plant should be relocated? It would seem that we're at a point where we likely have a foregone conclusion. Or am I missing something?

I would say you are missing how difficult it is to move processing equipment. Moving people is easy, the place you leave can be easily reoccupied by a new company needing office space so you could easily sell the old office building. Moving processing equipment is extremely difficult and extremely expensive. You would have to build a new plant from scratch so that it would accomodate your processing lines, the lines cannot be thrown in any plant. You would have to disassemble all of your old processing equipment. Haul all of that old equipment to the new site. Reassemble the equipment at the new site. You would have to work out all the kinks because moving equipment always results in problems. Lastly you would have to sell your old plant for next to nothing because it is highly unlikely another company would be able to walk in and start producing something without MAJOR remodification.

Generally the only time a company even considers moving its processing is when it is extremely profitable, growing fast and has outgrown its current location and investing in all new equipment for greater production capacity would make sense financially so you just junk your old processing equipment and don't even consider moving it. The meat processing industry has been in the dumps for a few decades so I seriously doubt Swift is extremely profitable. Most likely, forcing Swift to move would be just putting it out of business. I really don't see how they would recover the cost of moving and if some think the city should subsidize the move, I don't think it is fair for the tax payers who don't live anywhere near Swift.

While I have no problem at all with fining Swift if it breaks zoning laws or ordinances, I am against forcing it to move. I feel certain none of it neighbors were there before Swift so it is not like they didn't know what they were getting into when they moved there, that is also why they were able to buy the property so rediculously cheap, you get what you pay for. And where do you relocate the plant? Which neighborhood do you want to bring down and infuriate off their residents? I'm sure many would say just move it to the West End or the South End since those two areas seem to get dumped on by the city. No one wants a meat processing plant with in a few miles of their property and doing so would be unjust. And lets say you want to move it to an industrial area of town. Would you want a slaughter house moving next to your place of work? Those who work at companies near the Swift plant voluntarily chose to work there, it was not moved there suddenly. Not only that, property values of the businesses around the new area selected for the move would plummet so you can guarantee that the owners of those businesses would file every lawsuit imaginable to prevent the plant from being moved near them.

Swift should be allowed to stay where it is (unless it VOLUNTARILY decides to move) but should be held accountable for breaking any ordinances with fines.

Here's some new articles on the matter:

Wall Street Journal: "Trendy District Roasts Hog Plant; Neighborhood Group Wants Slaughterhouse Moved Out of Louisville's Butchertown" (Hat tip to 'Ville Voice)

Quote:

If the board revokes the conditional-use permit Monday, JBS would likely appeal, says Mr. Keys, the spokesman. "Just ripping it up because of neighborhood complaints is a very dicey issue," he says.

It's not just about complaints from the neighborhood. It's about the breaking of rules as required by the conditional-use permit.

Courier-Journal: "Butchertown's butchers under fire; Zoning board will consider the fate of last slaughterhouse"

Courier-Journal: "Zoning board considers Butchertown plant permit"

Bert wrote:

stevemagruder wrote: Beyond discussing this upcoming meeting, where do you think the plant should be relocated? It would seem that we're at a point where we likely have a foregone conclusion. Or am I missing something? I would say you are missing how difficult it is to move processing equipment. Moving people is easy, the place you leave can be easily reoccupied by a new company needing office space so you could easily sell the old office building. Moving processing equipment is extremely difficult and extremely expensive. You would have to build a new plant from scratch so that it would accomodate your processing lines, the lines cannot be thrown in any plant. You would have to disassemble all of your old processing equipment. Haul all of that old equipment to the new site. Reassemble the equipment at the new site. You would have to work out all the kinks because moving equipment always results in problems. Lastly you would have to sell your old plant for next to nothing because it is highly unlikely another company would be able to walk in and start producing something without MAJOR remodification. Generally the only time a company even considers moving its processing is when it is extremely profitable, growing fast and has outgrown its current location and investing in all new equipment for greater production capacity would make sense financially so you just junk your old processing equipment and don't even consider moving it. The meat processing industry has been in the dumps for a few decades so I seriously doubt Swift is extremely profitable. Most likely, forcing Swift to move would be just putting it out of business. I really don't see how they would recover the cost of moving and if some think the city should subsidize the move, I don't think it is fair for the tax payers who don't live anywhere near Swift. While I have no problem at all with fining Swift if it breaks zoning laws or ordinances, I am against forcing it to move. I feel certain none of it neighbors were there before Swift so it is not like they didn't know what they were getting into when they moved there, that is also why they were able to buy the property so rediculously cheap, you get what you pay for. And where do you relocate the plant? Which neighborhood do you want to bring down and infuriate off their residents? I'm sure many would say just move it to the West End or the South End since those two areas seem to get dumped on by the city. No one wants a meat processing plant with in a few miles of their property and doing so would be unjust. And lets say you want to move it to an industrial area of town. Would you want a slaughter house moving next to your place of work? Those who work at companies near the Swift plant voluntarily chose to work there, it was not moved there suddenly. Not only that, property values of the businesses around the new area selected for the move would plummet so you can guarantee that the owners of those businesses would file every lawsuit imaginable to prevent the plant from being moved near them. Swift should be allowed to stay where it is (unless it VOLUNTARILY decides to move) but should be held accountable for breaking any ordinances with fines.

I fully understand how difficult it would be for the plant to move, which is why it befuddles me that the operators of the plant are breaking so many rules that violate their conditional-use permit. Do they want to be forced out of business? It could be argued that they're asking for it. At any rate, since the city (and probably most of us) wants the jobs to be kept, I can imagine the city working with the state to create some kind of incentive package for the facility to move and stay in the area.

Also, there are still wide open spaces in the south end where they would be a good fit, such as near the landfill. It's difficult for me to imagine anyone being upset with the plant relocating to that vicinity, just as an example.

Last, this neighborhood has become gentrified, and over the years, the homes have attained a much greater value. That's just today's reality, and a meat processing plant no longer fits in with that profile. Sure, it's not fair to Swift. But that's how it has worked out. And this matter isn't mostly about simply neighbor complaints — it's about rampant rule breaking.

Well, BOZA has decided to allow JBS to continue operating. even while there is ongoing interest and work in relocating the plant to another, more industrial location in Jefferson County.

Broken Sidewalk has put together a very comprehensive, interesting followup: "Land Use And The Future Of Butchertown". Branden richly details the area's history, its layout, the ongoing issues, and the way forward.

My overarching thought is this neighborhood is today an increasingly gentrified residential neighborhood, with an out-of-place meat processing plant stuck in the middle of it. It used to be a "butchertown", but that's just not true any longer. The neighborhood gentrification occurred simultaneously with this modern plant's existence, so as Branden says, the argument that Swift was there first is a non-argument.

I think the workers, the company, and Butchertown neighborhood residents should work in tandem to help the company move to a more industrial location within Jefferson County. I want the jobs saved while doing what's best for Butchertown.

Local radio personality Francene gives her take about the Swift matter in today's LEO.

I can't say I agree with every last point she makes, but it's a good read with many good insights.

I especially like how she stands strong for the rule of law. I always like to see citizens doing that.