Scrap Yard Plan in Cedar Rapids Fails to Win Approval

By Dave Franzman, Reporter

CEDAR RAPIDS - A plan to locate a scrap metal recycling business in southwest Cedar Rapids didn't get any support from the city's Board of Adjustment on Monday.

A-Line Iron and Metal of Waterloo hoped to build a salvage yard at 2525 12th Street S.W. The facility, planned for an industrial-zoned area, would have employed up to 30 people eventually.

But the location was right in the backyard of radio stations KZIA-FM and KGYM-AM. And owners of the stations orchestrated a campaign to opposed the scrap yard including on-air public service type ads and commentary on the station's web site.

A-Line needed a conditional use permit from the city's Board of Adjustment to proceed with the plan. And one executive from a neighboring business spoke in favor.

Mark Hanson of Altorfer, Inc. said "we'd like to encourage the granting of a conditional use permit to A-Line Iron and Metal--we sell scrap to A-Line and we've found them to be a solid company..."

Other proponents, including company owner Kyle Stone, promised to screen any operations and insisted the noise off site would not be exceptionally loud.

But radio station owners, and others, argued it's almost impossible to disguise a scrap yard. And they told board members it was the kind of business that didn't belong in an area with light industry and nearby homes.

The Board of Adjustment bought that argument and agreed unanimously to turn down the request.

Radio station president Eliot Keller said "I'd like to see A-Line come to town. It sounds like they would be an asset to the community. But they need to find a place that's appropriate for the type of work they're going to be doing."

In turning down the request from the Waterloo company, Board of Adjustment members also indicated the decision might be different if the company sought a permit in an area closer to other scrap yards.

The only way to appeal Monday's board decision would be to go to court.

One engineer working for the Waterloo company said there was no decision about an appeal or about looking to locate the same project elsewhere.

NEWS SOURCE