A group of Cumberland Township residents is calling for the municipality to change its zoning laws in an effort to block plans for a concentrated poultry farm on Mummasburg Road.

Brandon Keller wants to build two barns to house a total of 60,000 chickens on his 54-acre farm, located in the Agricultural/Residential zone at 1714 Mummasburg Road.

In response, a group of neighbors requested the Board of Supervisors to change zoning laws to permit such operations only in Agricultural zones.

The supervisors scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. to accept public comments on Keller's proposal. Still, dozens of residents attended the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday evening to speak against the project.

The supervisors, though, instructed all in attendance to hold their comments until the December hearing.

Keller said the concerns neighbors have would be addressed at that time.

"I'm following all the codes we're supposed to follow and all the odor-management plans. So when we have our hearing, come and listen to all the professionals," he encouraged neighbors.

Opponents of the project met last week at the First Baptist Church in Gettysburg to discuss the potential impact a concentrated poultry farm would have on nearby homes. Organizer Barry Stone said more than 100 people attended that meeting and signed a petition to be sent to the supervisors.

"I'm concerned about high levels of noise and flies and the potential contamination of ground water," he said. "I just feel my quality of life and my property value would decline from an intense use like this."

Kristin Rice lives about one mile from the project and she, too, is concerned about the impact a concentrated poultry farm would have on the area.

"We really don't know what the impact will be on the water and where the waste water will go," she said. "I'm very concerned about the smell. Information I've received indicates that the smell would be very, very strong."

The petition, signed by opponents, calls for the zoning change and it has been submitted for township review.

Stone estimated the proposed poultry farm would be about 1.2 miles from the Eternal Light Peace Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park, meaning noise and smells could drift to reach tourists, he argued.

"I think this would be a real concern for the Park Service as well," he said.

But Keller's proposal isn't the only concentrated poultry farm to provoke neighbors.

A farm with 80,000 chickens drew criticism from Huntington Township neighbors during a meeting earlier this month.

That 340-acre farm would be located off Rolling Road and would produce eggs to be sold to a Pennsylvania distributor.

Peter Hughes, of Lancaster-based Red Barn Consulting, works with farmers to design and present applications for concentrated animal farms. All intensive operations must adhere to strict state guidelines, he says. Specifically, manure generated by the chickens is kept away from homes or waterways in a process that is safe for neighbors and groundwater, he said following a meeting on the Huntington Township proposal.

Still, such projects often incite opposition from neighbors.

He said he has attended meetings in the past where neighbors have come dressed in opposition T-shirts. Other times, meetings have been rescheduled in the local high school to accommodate large crowds.

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