Meeker County Board delayed giving approval Tuesday for a proposed shooting range west of State Highway 22 in Harvey Township.

On a 3-2 vote, the board required the project’s developer to first conduct an environmental impact assessment of the property. Commissioners Bryan Larson, Beth Oberg and Mike Huberty voted in favor of the assessment, while commissioners Dale Fenrich and Mike Housman opposed it.

The assessment, which could take as long as one year to complete and cost between $3,000 and $10,000, would examine how the range would affect the environment, including from lead from ammunition used at the site.

The site’s developer, Martin Wegner of Litchfield, applied for a conditional use permit for a shooting range on an 80-acre tract. In September, the Meeker County Planning Commission recommended granting the permit.

The Planning Commission did not recommend conducting an environmental impact assessment, which Wegner would be responsible for financing.

According to Planning and Zoning Administrator Kristin Cote, the county received a petition with 146 signatures requesting the assessment be completed. Signatures were from local citizens and also from residents from other parts of Minnesota, Cote said.

Some neighbors, including farmers, oppose the shooting range, citing noise and safety concerns. Wegner has said steps would be taken to ensure safety, and shooting would be curtailed during planting and harvest times at nearby fields.