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Lordstown rezoning draws opposition

Site of proposed distribution center now zoned residential

LORDSTOWN — A meeting on two requested zoning changes that could lead to TJX HomeGoods building a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center here was rescheduled from Wednesday to 6:30 p.m. Monday.

“The company has heard the concerns of some residents and wants to prepare,” Mayor Arno Hill said of the village’s planning commission meeting.

The distribution center would supply products to 300 stores in the Midwest.

In the meantime, residents at Monday’s Lordstown Village Council meeting continued to express concerns about the proposed $160 million project that could bring 1,000 new jobs into the region over a five-year period. Resident Martin Jones told council members that a petition is being passed objecting to changing the zoning of the property.

“I would not be against this if the company wanted to place the distribution center on property that already is zoned industrial,” Jones said.

Jones said there was a similar effort made to stop the Lordstown Electric Center from changing the zoning of residential land where it originally wanted to place its future facility. A group of Lordstown residents convinced the village’s planning commission not to support the requested zone change.

The company eventually decided to move the LEC plant to its current location at 1853 Henn Parkway SW.

Jones said there are at least two other sites in the village that are already zoned industrial where a distribution center can be placed. There is land across from the Lordstown Electric Center and there is a second tract north of the turnpike on Bailey Road, which is owned by the railroad, he said.

“This is a matter of principle,” Jones said. “If property is zoned residential, it should remain residential. There were people that worked hard more than 20 years ago to develop the zoning in the village.”

Jones plans to present the petition to the Planning and Zoning Commission next Monday.

Hill, a member of the township’s planning commission, supports the company bringing 1,000 jobs to the village.

“What scares me is the unemployment rate has gone up by 2 percent,” Hill said. “If we let 1,000 jobs get away, what will happen when the next company looks at this area and questions how we allowed this to happen?”

During an introductory public meeting held earlier this month, officials told residents the company looked at properties in five states and 12 communities before settling on Lordstown to place the center.

rsmith@tribtoday.com

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