SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Scottsbluff leaders are considering a proposal in which they would sell 43 acres of city land to a Wyoming company for construction of a meatpacking plant in the western Nebraska community.
During a City Council meeting Monday, Keith DeHaan with Future Food Energy LLC outlined the company's proposal to buy the property for $10,000 per acre.
Future Food Energy has already signed a letter of intent to buy the land located in the Immigrant Trails Subdivision along state Highway 26.
If the city approves the sale, Future Food Energy would construct a 358,000-square-foot plant that would initially employ 250 to 400 workers to process 300,000 to 375,000 cattle per year.
The facility would use reclaimed heat in a process that DeHaan says eliminates the odor commonly associated with meatpacking facilities.
The company had looked at locating in the Cheyenne area, but abandoned the idea after determining that community didn't have the water capacity needed to support a meatpacking plant, DeHaan said.
An Asian company will be the majority owner of the Future Food Energy facility, he said, but Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming cattle producers will be minority owners.
Scottsbluff City Manager Rick Kuckkahn said public forums will be held over the coming weeks to take questions and address any public concerns. He said it could take as long as a couple months for the city to decide whether it will sell the land to the company.
