(Radio Iowa) – The Manchester City Council has approved the site plan for a proposed custom meat processing facility in the city’s industrial park. Todd Summers owns and operates a meat locker in Earlville, but Manchester City Manager Tim Vick says that facility needs some upgrades. “He’s looking at maybe just doing a much larger facility here in Manchester,” Vick says, “and so there are multiple phases that we are looking at.”

Site plan for proposed Manchester Locker (provided by City of Manchester)

Vick says phase one of the plan would be to develop 15 acres and build a 26-thousand square foot facility.  “Animals would come in. They’ll be slaughtered, processed and out of the door,” Vick said. Vick says the business — which would be called The Manchester Locker — would also have retail space to sell meat directly to customers. Summers — who’s planning to operate a meat locker in Manchester — bought Dan’s Meat Locker in Earlville last year. It offers custom meat processing of beef, pork, lamb and deer and makes retail sales of everything from steaks to homemade sausage.

U-S-D-A records show there are nearly 150 licensed processing plants for meat and poultry in Iowa.