Planning commission grants waivers for Weaver poultry barns; final approval contingent on NPDES permit

The Berry County Planning Commission approved waiver requests for a proposed expansion of an agricultural operation that would add two poultry barns to a 96‑acre property at 383 Brook Road, but it made final plan approval conditional on state and county permits.

Matt (S7), a consultant representing applicant Joel Weaver, told the commission the project would place two 81‑by‑500‑foot poultry barns on the site, each designed to hold about 40,000 birds, and include a storage structure. Matt said the applicant has completed a partial boundary survey and received a draft county‑engineer letter and that a draft NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit had been issued for public comment.

Staff (S5) and commissioners raised environmental and technical questions during the review. Staff flagged that part of the site lies in proximity to a cold‑water fishery on Bull Run and asked whether NPDES requirements or temperature‑mitigation measures would be needed. Commissioners and staff discussed slope and contouring near wetland fingers, the need for monuments showing perimeter bearings and distances, and whether the disturbance limits complied with the watershed and stormwater requirements.

After deliberation and a request from staff to document county‑engineer concurrence, the commission voted to grant the applicant’s waiver requests for specified preliminary plan details. The commission then approved a motion to grant plan approval only after the applicant provides the final NPDES permit and written confirmation that outstanding county‑engineer comments have been addressed.

Chair (S1) framed the action as a conditional approval to allow the applicant to proceed while ensuring the technical reviews are completed; committee members said they preferred a written engineer signoff before final plan recordation. Staff noted the township and DEP review timelines and said the county would follow up if citizens raise noncompliance concerns during construction.

The commission did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript; the motions were adopted by voice votes as recorded in the meeting minutes. The commission asked staff to confirm receipt of the NPDES permit and the county‑engineer signoff before issuing a final approval.

Next steps: the applicant will supply the final NPDES permit and address any remaining engineer comments; staff will verify the documents and report back to the commission for final signoff.