A Carroll farmer’s request for a zoning variance was denied at a Board of Adjustment meeting Thursday night. Loren Danner was seeking the variance for a grain leg constructed in 2013 that was later found to extend 61 feet into the protected airspace of the Carroll Airport. Greg Seimann, a member of the Carroll Airport Commission says at least two ordinances are violated by the tower.
Danner had approached the county and received a building permit before constructing the grain leg. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did send Danner a letter saying the tower was not a hazard. Bringing the grain leg down would require Danner to essentially rebuild the entire structure with different materials strong enough to support conveyors at an estimated cost over $400,000. Board members, Brian Hoffman and Janice Hulsing, say there are specific rules when it comes to approving a variance.
The board voted three to one against granting the variance. Danner’s attorney, Steve Hamilton, says Danner went through the proper channels to approve the construction and the fault does not lie with him.
Seimann says the commission understands Danner’s issue, but the commission is only doing what they were put in place to do.
Danner has 30 days to appeal the decision and has already said he intends to do so. He has also been named as a defendant in a lawsuit scheduled for court on Tuesday, March 14.
