What started as a routine planning meeting in Rio Linda–Elverta turned into a full‑blown neighborhood showdown Wednesday, as residents packed the room to push back on a proposed small-scale halal slaughter operation on a 20‑acre Palladay Road property. Neighbors told the advisory panel they feared odor, extra truck traffic and the risk of contaminating private wells. After hours of public comment, the Rio Linda–Elverta Community Planning Advisory Council voted 5‑0 to recommend denying the permit, sending the controversial proposal on to county staff and the zoning administrator for a final call.
What’s being proposed
The application, filed under the name “Greenfarm” (PLNP2025‑00038), would convert an existing accessory structure on a 20.01‑acre parcel at 8645 Palladay Road into an indoor “kill floor” with on‑site animal raising, processing and customer pick‑up, according to Sacramento County planning documents. County records list Bahadur Amiri as the applicant and show engineering and water‑resource reviews included in the project file. The application packet describes operations limited to a few animals per week with no outside employees.
Hearing drew heavy turnout
More than 70 people stepped up to the microphone at Wednesday’s hearing, and the local advisory council ultimately voted unanimously to recommend denial, citing worries about enforcement, long‑term sustainability and the possibility the slaughter operation could grow beyond the modest scale described on paper, as reported by ABC10. Neighbors pointed out that surrounding large‑lot properties rely on private wells and septic systems, warning that a processing facility could upend the rural character many moved there to protect. One attendee, Billie Helms, told ABC10 she feared the business would expand and “contaminate well water.”
Applicant's pitch and local context
Amiri has told county staff the operation would stay small, handling about two to three animals a week and serving growing Muslim and Afghan communities in Sacramento, according to local reporting and the application materials. Rio Linda Online notes that the plan calls for indoor slaughtering, customer selection of live animals on slaughter day and weekday operating hours. County planners have flagged that a valid state inspection or registration and other permits would be required before any processing could begin.
Applicant says it will comply
Speaking to ABC10, Amiri said he is prepared to accept environmental requirements for handling waste, including installing a sealed tank, and emphasized that the facility would operate indoors and follow applicable regulations. He has described the project as religiously motivated, intended to provide halal processing options for the community. At the meeting, however, many residents made it clear that written assurances were not easing their minds, arguing that promises without strict, enforceable conditions would not protect their wells or their peace and quiet. As ABC10 reported, council members and speakers pressed county staff on how any limits on scale or operations could realistically be monitored and enforced if the business tried to grow.
Regulatory hurdles and next steps
Slaughter facilities in California must clear both county land‑use requirements and state inspection or registration through the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which licenses and inspects custom livestock slaughter and processing operations, according to CDFA's MPES FAQ. The agency notes that certain types of slaughter fall under state regulation, and that different permits apply depending on whether the meat is for the owner’s household use or for sale. Sacramento County’s project file shows a December review by water resources staff and identifies the zoning administrator as the final hearing authority on the use permit, per Sacramento County records.
What comes next
The zoning administrator will weigh the CPAC recommendation and written comments from residents before setting a formal hearing date, according to Rio Linda Online. For now, the application remains in limbo while neighbors push the county for hard limits on waste handling, hours and throughput. The final decision will determine whether a halal kill floor goes forward on Palladay Road or is barred from the rural neighborhood it is proposed to occupy.
