Iowa (KCRG) – The Delaware County Zoning Board denied a request Wednesday from Compass Mining to rezone its property from agricultural to light industrial status following a two-hour meeting in which residents voiced concerns about noise and other impacts from the company’s Bitcoin mining facility
The board voted 3-1 to deny the rezoning change.
Compass Mining, a company that provides Bitcoin mining hardware, operates a facility west of Hopkinton. When the company first submitted its zoning application, it listed the operation as an agriculture operation. After county supervisors learned it was a cryptocurrency mining facility, they directed the company to seek rezoning as a light industrial operation.
Under the county’s zoning ordinance, neither agricultural nor light industrial operations are permitted to produce offensive noise or vibrations.
Neighbors said the facility has been a noise nuisance since it opened. Amy Krapfl, who lives near the Compass Mining facility, addressed the board.
“This is not normal, agricultural noise. It is not seasonal. The noise is constant. Keep this activity confined to the approved industrial parks, the true purpose of this profiteering business. Please follow the comprehensive land management plan,” Krapfl said.
Residents also said they have experienced higher electric bills and power surges since the facility began operating.
Compass Mining said it has installed special walls to help reduce sound levels but that storms knocked them down. The company also said it fired the developer who submitted the original agricultural zoning application.
The rezoning request now goes to the Delaware County Board of Supervisors, which has the authority to override the zoning commission’s decision. The board’s next meeting is Aug. 24.
If the board of supervisors upholds the zoning commission’s denial, the county attorney could issue Compass Mining a cease and desist order, which would force the company to close the facility.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
