Zoning board approves 26-foot retaining wall for JBS site at 920 North 7th Avenue

The Zoning Board of Appeals voted to approve a variance allowing a retaining wall up to 26 feet at 920 North 7th Avenue to accommodate a JBS distribution facility.

Gary Komerska of Tippman Construction, the applicant, told the board the existing site features "a straight, vertical edge, earthen" condition that he described as "a cliff" and said it has been eroding "for years and years and years." He said the vertical drop is roughly 46 feet and that meeting the city's 3:1 slope standard would consume so much of the property that the proposed facility would no longer be functional. "Our wall is anywhere from about 3 to 4 feet up to about 26 feet," Komerska said, explaining the range depends on where the slope begins and ends.

A commissioner read the board's finding that, based on the application and staff analysis, the variance request "complies with and meets all applicable review criteria under section 24 2 0 9 b of the Greeley development code and therefore approves the request." A motion and second were recorded, the chair called for a voice vote and the motion carried.

The approval allows the applicant to install a retaining wall that the applicant said will stabilize the slope and permit truck access to the distribution center. The public hearing record showed no in-person or online public commenters who objected or supported the request during the comment period.

The zoning board adjourned after the vote. The transcript does not specify vote tallies by member name; the board recorded the motion, a second and a carried voice vote.