Wholestone Farms Permits Stand; Completes Butcher Shop Construction
On Oct. 19, a judge declined to rescind permits for a custom butcher shop in northeast Sioux Falls being built by Wholestone Farms, the current focus of an ongoing debate over a proposed pork processing plant on the site, reports the Mitchell Republic.
Last week, Circuit Judge Sandra Hoglund Hanson allowed the group opposed to Wholestone’s plans to file an amended complaint in the case, shifting the legal parameters of the discussion. But in the second hearing on Oct. 19, she ruled that deciding the case would require a "full trial with the opportunity to call witnesses and present evidence, rather than an abbreviated hearing."
This pushes any further legal action until after the Nov. 8 election, the article said. Smart Growth Sioux Falls gathered signatures to put the slaughterhouse ban on the ballot. During the election, voters will decide whether to approve a ban on any new slaughterhouses within city limits.
Hanson said it is not appropriate for the court to "stick its foot in that door."
Smart Growth had claimed victory following last week’s hearing, saying Hanson’s statements from the bench stopped the permitting process, the Mitchell Republic reports. But Wholestone maintained that the judge had not issued any ruling regarding the permits and they would continue work toward opening the butcher shop.
The city of Sioux Falls issued several permits for the butcher shop, including allowing occupancy of the building on Oct. 7. According to Meat+Poultry, construction on Wholestone Farm’s butcher shop is now complete. Wholestone Farms' plans for its $500 million pork processing facility await the result of the Nov. 8 election.
Read more:
Special Olympics Reverses Position, Now Supports S.D. Pork Plant
Non-Profit Group Tries to Stop Construction of Pork Processing Plant
Wholestone Farms CEO Discusses Concerns About Potential Sioux Falls Pork Plant
New SD Pork Process Plant Faces Opposition
