Clinton County plan commission forwards favorable recommendation for 714-acre industrial rezoning after hours of testimony

The Clinton County Area Plan Commission voted on Tuesday to send a favorable recommendation to the county commissioners for a rezoning request by Logix Realty LLC that would change roughly 714.55 acres from A-1 agricultural to I-1 light industrial, a move linked to a developer-stated plan for a multi-part campus that could include a precast manufacturing plant, a hydroponic/gigafarm component and a DataONE data‑center campus.

Staff presented a detailed report that framed the site as largely appropriate for industrial uses: two-thirds of the property sits inside the county’s TIF district, the land borders existing industrial uses and rail access, and sewer, water and transmission capacity are available or can be extended. But staff also flagged unresolved drainage, road improvements, buffer and sound-mitigation needs and the lack of finalized legal commitments, and recommended approval only with a full set of enforceable commitments.

Liz Stitzel, Clinton County area plan staff, said the county’s review focused on the five statutory rezoning criteria and on protections for adjacent residents and businesses. “If approved, this rezoning would dramatically change the surrounding neighborhood,” Stitzel said, adding that commitments should include decommissioning guarantees, road‑use and bonding requirements, noise limits and buffer walls or mounds around homes and roads.

Developers and the intended user, DataONE, addressed the commission and then answered questions from the board about technical matters. John Moore, attorney for the petitioner, asked the commission to forward a favorable recommendation while language in the commitments was finalized with staff and county decision makers. John Ruga of DataONE described the company’s cooling approach as a closed‑loop system and said the project concept includes local job creation and ancillary manufacturing that would locate nearby.

Residents and businesses speaking in public comment were sharply divided. Neighbors, agricultural operators and Bittersweet Nursery warned of potential impacts on wells, aquifers and greenhouse operations from increased lighting, noise and water or road pressures. “I have huge concerns about drainage,” one neighbor said, citing seasonal flooding and the site’s hydrology. Bittersweet Nursery’s representatives asked for specific protections against light and dust near their greenhouse operations. Other community members, civic leaders and several speakers who identified themselves as regional economic-development proponents argued the site’s scale and location are well suited to industrial growth and urged the commission to recommend approval with stringent commitments.

Stitzel told the commission that the applicant had agreed in concept to several major commitments, including requiring Frankfort municipal utilities for water and sewer service, closed‑loop cooling systems, a decommissioning plan with financial surety, performance bonds for road and utility work, buffer yards (including an option for an 8‑foot wall or mound), and periodic, post‑construction sound studies to verify compliance. The staff report also summarized additional legal recommendations by the county attorney calling for construction standards that would make large industrial buildings reusable and for independent third‑party engineering review of reuse potential.

After lengthy discussion about the size of the request and outstanding wording changes to the commitments, Commission member Dan Sheets moved — and Andy Bailey seconded — to forward a favorable recommendation to the county commissioners, conditional on the commitments being finalized to the satisfaction of staff, counsel and the county commissioners. The motion carried on a roll‑call vote; staff will present the commission’s recommendation at the county commissioners’ next regular meeting.

What happens next: the plan commission’s recommendation is not the final step. The county commissioners will consider the rezoning and any related fiscal or mitigation agreements. If the rezoning proceeds, future development-plan hearings will test detailed engineering — drainage, road upgrades and site layout — and staff said those stages will be subject to the commitments and to additional technical review.

Authorities and documents: staff cited relevant state statutes and the Clinton County Unified Development Ordinance standards for subdivisions and rezonings in the presentation to the commission. The staff report and the submitted statement of intent are part of the public record at the Clinton County planning office.

The plan commission’s favorable recommendation was made at its January 6 meeting and will be presented to the county commissioners at their next regularly scheduled meeting.