Quincy may lose fruit orchards, gain food processing factory

EPHRATA - The Quincy area may soon be losing about 50 acres of fruit orchards and gaining 300-400 jobs.

In a unanimous decision that rejected the opinion of the county's planning department, the Grant County Planning Commission voted last week to allow 114 acres, about half of which is prime agriculture land, to be included in Quincy's Urban Growth Area so a food processor could be built.

Port of Quincy Commissioner Curt Morris told planning commission members that a nationally-known company is looking to relocate to Quincy and would employ 300-400 people. Because negotiations are ongoing he said that he couldn't name the company but it is a recognizable company that "everyone will know."

The planning department recommended that the board reject the proposal because there is already about 700 acres of unutilized land in the UGA that could be used to build a factory. Quincy City Administrator Tim Snead said that land is on the east side of the city, and city leaders want to keep food processors on the west side where services are currently in place.

Snead said the deal should close this month and construction will likely begin within five years.

Planning commission members said that while they were leery of designating prime agriculture land that is now in production to be bulldozed to build a factory, the proposal was too good to turn down.

"The last thing that will ever be planted is a factory," Commissioner Lee Graham said just before voting in favor of the proposal.

"I like organized growth. To me it makes sense to expand (the UGA) based on organized growth," Commissioner Ann Drader said.

The deal still needs county commissioner approval, and the earliest they will vote on the increase in Quincy's UGA is next month when they vote on all comprehensive planning amendments, according to county planning director, Damien Hooper.

Snead said wages for factory jobs would be similar to wages earned by workers at Quincy Foods and ConAgra.