Proposed raw pet food business expansion faces renewed resistance at West Lampeter zoning meeting

Residents of a West Lampeter Township community again butted heads over the proposed expansion of a local raw pet food business at a zoning meeting Tuesday night.

Amish farmer Chris Glick, owner of BJ’s Raw Pet Food, is seeking approval for a new 11,000-square-foot building at 1618 Millport Road to expand his business operation. Glick currently runs BJ’s out of an 8,000-square-foot building at 1518 Millport Road and leases the aforementioned lot to a tenant farmer. The Jefferson Square housing development is located between Glick’s lots.

Tuesday’s meeting continued a monthslong debate over Glick’s proposed expansion. At zoning meetings in May and June, Jefferson Square residents and two land-use and municipal law attorneys interrogated Glick, highlighting potential traffic, smell, noise and water contamination issues.

Glick’s attorney, Susan Bucknum, presented the board with Glick’s permits and approvals for his 1518 Millport Road property, which solicitor Matthew Creme had requested at the previous zoning meeting. Board member Raymond Lanas pointed out that none of the documents were signed by Glick, expressing skepticism about Glick’s compliance with them.

Potts and Harrisburg-based attorney William Cluck, who represents Woodcrest Drive residents Ken and Sharon Henry, noted that his Right to Know request for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture inspection reports regarding Glick’s existing business location was denied.

Glick said he had no knowledge of any problems with state Department of Agriculture inspections.

About 40 people attended the meeting, held in the West Lampeter Township municipal center on Village Road.

Bucknum brought Bert Nye to the stand to testify in favor of Glick’s proposed expansion.

Nye is the owner of Nye Consulting Services, which assists agricultural operations — particularly animal operations like Glick’s — in obtaining their necessary permits. Nye developed the plans for Glick’s proposed new property.

Nye emphasized that the proposed 11,000-square-foot building would make up a tiny portion of the 50 acres of farmland at 1618 Millport Road.

“(We’re) definitely minimizing the proportion we’re developing here to maximize the cropland,” Nye said.

Nye added that the building would be centrally located on the farmland, maximizing its distance from the housing development. Its proposed driveway, which he said would be accessed by up to 11 trucks per day, would be located toward the south of the property for the same reason.

Bucknum asked Nye about landscape architect Matthew Kadwill’s testimony at the previous zoning meeting. Nye agreed with Kadwill that the building’s three compressors would each produce a maximum of between 65 and 85 dB, which would decrease as the distance from the compressors increased, and that the sound could be further reduced by placing the compressors in the building.

Cluck interjected multiple times, reminding the board Nye was not a sound expert.

Alexa Potts of Appel Yost & Zee, representing Creekwood Drive residents Keith and Lisa Reinhart, asked Nye whether Glick could conduct his operation in the current barn at 1618 Millport Road instead of expanding the property.

Nye said Glick had told him the proposed expansion was necessary. Nye noted that the building would both need sufficient storage space and room for goods to be moved around the facility in order for Glick to conduct his operation.

“Never do I have people come back to me and say, ‘Man, I wish I had a smaller building,’” Nye said.

Ray Fernandez, of 202 Woodcrest Drive, is a radio frequency engineer. Fernandez critiqued Kadwill’s calculations regarding the compressors’ noise.

Fernandez said Kadwill’s calculations did not meet the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers standard for all radio frequency measurements, as they didn’t account for factors like harmonics and the hornlike shape of the 1618 Millport Road lot.

While Kadwill did not conduct a study to determine the exact noise of the compressors, such a study is not required by law, Nye said.

Lynn Walker, a resident of 812 Lightfoot Drive and longtime neighbor of Glick at his 1518 Millport Road property, spoke on Glick’s behalf.

Walker’s home is 165 yards away from Glick’s property, making her his closest neighbor in the housing development.

Walker described her concerns about increased noise, smell and traffic when Glick sought approval for his current facility.

“I can honestly say … that every single one of my concerns has been addressed,” she said.

Walker told the residents Glick listened to her concerns, even removing farm equipment that had created an eyesore in front of her home.

“He has been a man of honor and integrity,” Walker said. “I think all of us would be lucky to have him as a next-door neighbor.”

“We don’t want him,” another resident retorted under their breath.

Glick’s case will continue to be discussed at the Aug. 13 zoning hearing board meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.

A sign is shown during the tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

Signs are shown during the tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

Turkey mix food is shown during the tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

Pet food in the refrigerator during the tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

A tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

Pet food is stored in the walk-in freezer during tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

A tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

Pet food is stored in the walk-in freezer during tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

A map is shown during the tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

A dog sits in the front of the building during the tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.

A building is shown during the tour at BJ’s Raw Pet Food facility in West Lampeter Township on Friday, May 3, 2024.