The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 8 approved on the first reading an ordinance to rezone about 75.57 acres in Moscow Township from A-1 agricultural to I-2 heavy industrial to allow applicant LifeCraft to pursue a special-use permit for a biochar production facility. The public hearing and vote took place during the board's regular meeting at the county administration building.

The rezoning would allow LifeCraft to apply to the county board of adjustment for a site-specific special-use permit; the I-2 district itself allows only the uses in I-1 by right and places other heavier industrial uses under special-use review. County development staff and LifeCraft officials told the board the step is necessary before the company can file for the site permit and begin construction work proposed for a site adjacent to Wendland Quarry near West Liberty.

LifeCraft Chief Executive Officer William Kalagrishy described biochar as a carbon-rich, porous soil amendment produced by pyrolysis of biomass. "We can process about 5 tons of material an hour" and heat it to roughly 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, he told the board. He said LifeCraft plans to source feedstock—corn stover, storm-damaged wood and other local woody waste—within a roughly 50-mile radius and to blend biochar with compost on-site for sale to local farmers. "We are not seeking any kind of state, county, federal tax breaks or rebates," Kalagrishy said, and he told the board the company has already invested about $5,000,000 in supporting equipment and expects ongoing capital deployment as the project scales.

County development director Eric Furnace summarized the planning review. He said the county's updated comprehensive land-use plan uses the LISA (Land Evaluation and Site Assessment) scoring process and that the site scored in a medium range, which "leaves the door open" for rezoning when an adequate need is shown. Furnace also noted the parcel's proximity to Wendland Quarry, which operates under a special-use permit, and said that adjacency and existing truck traffic were factors in the county's assessment. Furnace told the board he had not received written opposition and that applicants had engaged neighbors directly prior to the hearing.

Phil Weese, director of economic development at WeLead in West Liberty, appeared at the hearing and urged approval. "The project represents one of the most exciting economic opportunities we've seen in some time," he said, citing LifeCraft's proposal to create about 50 jobs with benefits. Weese also praised the applicant's outreach to adjacent property owners.

The county zoning commission had recommended the rezoning on a 3-1 vote following its public hearing. During the supervisors' discussion, members asked staff to confirm that rezoning to I-2 would not automatically allow every heavy industrial use; staff reiterated that many I-2 uses require separate special-use permits and board-of-adjustment review. Kalagrishy asked the board to consider waiving the full set of subsequent readings so the project could proceed faster before winter work windows close; several supervisors said they would consider combining the remaining readings next week if there was no public opposition.

Formal action: the board approved the rezoning ordinance on its first reading by roll call. Supervisors recorded votes in the affirmative during the meeting (votes called by name at the dais). The ordinance passed the first of the board's required readings; staff and the applicant said a special-use permit application cannot be processed until the rezoning becomes effective.

Next steps: If the board completes the second and third readings, LifeCraft will need to submit a special-use permit application for the specific facility design and operating conditions, which will be examined by the board of adjustment. LifeCraft told the board it is planning a six-year research partnership with Iowa State University to study biochar performance on local soils.

Meeting notes: County staff said about a dozen to 15 members of the public attended the zoning commission hearing and that the company also submitted at least one written letter of support. Supervisors said the company's outreach to neighbors likely reduced opposition at the public hearing.