Zoning changes approved

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook City Council unanimously approved a zoning change requested by Northrop Grumman for a property on Highway 6-34 following a short discussion on the former groundwater clean-up efforts in the area.

Northrop Grumman, through its project sponsor Jennifer Hiatt of Baird Holm LLP, asked the city to re-zone two lots from Agricultural to Highway Commercial, for property owned by Northrop Grumman at 38672 U.S. Highway 6, McCook.

Hiatt told the council that the re-zoning corresponds with the future use of the land, according to the city’s comprehensive plan and that the property will be used for future development.

The property is outside city limits but within the city’s two-mile jurisdiction, she clarified.

The lots are on the south side of U.S. Highway 6-34, between Karrer Park and a gun store/pawn shop.

Councilman Gene Weedin asked if the lots were located in the vicinity of a former McCook homeowner and City Manager Nate Schneider said that mitigation work has been completed on the land, all requirements were met with only monitoring being done at this point.

Weedin asked if there were still wells on the property and Hiatt said the wells are in existence but do not need permit requirements. Schneider said the wells on the property do not change how the property would be used.

TRW Inc. (now Northrop Grumman) manufactured capacitors at its McCook facility from the mid-1960s to 1984 and was located at the intersection of F Street and Airport Road.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) was used as a solvent and a carrier for the epoxy coating on the capacitors, prior to TRW ceasing operations in 1984 and closing the facility in 1986. Soil containing TCE was discovered when the City of McCook was searching for a new source of water, due to nitrate contamination of the existing sources.

After extensive investigations, TRW began groundwater remediation activities in 1993. In 2011, soil analysis found that the remediation system had resulted in a significant reduction in the plume size and a decrease in overall TCE concentrations.

Another question was asked by Councilman Jerry Calvin, who wanted to know why the zoning of the property was changed in the first place back to agriculture from highway commercial, as the city’s comprehensive plan recommends highway commercial. City Clerk Lea Ann Doak said that was done on the request of a former landowner.

Since Northrop has owned the property, commercial buildings have been constructed in the vicinity of the lots, with adjoining properties also zoned Highway Commercial.

Calvin also asked if the re-zoning can be approved on the first reading and Schneider said it could be approved on the second reading at a future meeting. Changes in ordinances, such as re-zoning requests, typically take three readings, unless the council unanimously votes to suspend the three readings. Calvin asked the question after hearing that Hiatt is traveling five hours from Omaha to attend city council meetings for the re-zoning request.