BAZETTA — Township trustees on Tuesday unanimously denied a request to rezone a 3.81-acre residential parcel along Elm Road for commercial use.

Before the vote, trustees heard nearly an hour of testimony from residents dominated by concerns over traffic, drainage and preserving neighborhood character.

The request to change the parcel from residential R-1 to commercial C-3 was denied following a public hearing at the township administration building.

Matthew Bellin, on behalf of Equity Trust Company, requested the zone change. He said the parcel had become an “isolated residential island” surrounded by commercial development along the Elm Road corridor and argued the rezoning aligned with the township’s comprehensive plan and infrastructure investment in the area.

“Elm Road is a major commercial corridor,” Bellin said. “This is not commercial expanding into a residential area. This is simply executing your comprehensive plan by treating this corridor consistently.”

The request involved vacant land owned by Equity Trust Company near existing commercial properties, including a salon and the Apostolakis car dealership.

The Trumbull County Planning Commission did not recommend either approval or denial of the request. In findings read into the record, the commission stated the proposed amendment “does not entirely conform with the Bazetta Township comprehensive plan” and said it could not recommend approval because the request did not match the future land use map designation. However, the commission also stated it could not recommend denial because the proposal was “mostly supported throughout the comprehensive plan.”

The township zoning commission later voted 3-1 recommending approval of the amendment.

Residents living near the property, many from Knapp Drive, overwhelmingly opposed the rezoning.

Opponents repeatedly cited concerns about increased truck traffic, flooding, drainage problems and the loss of what they described as a residential buffer between homes and existing businesses. Several residents described longstanding water issues behind homes near the property.

“The water does not disperse,” said Knapp Drive homeowner David Sweet.

He also argued that once the property became commercially zoned, future uses could become more intensive than the currently proposed flex-space concept.

“Zoning, not intent, determines what happens here,” Sweet said. “If the zoning change is approved, there’s no guarantee that what he’s proposed gets built there.”

Bellin argued the development would generate tax revenue, jobs and commercial activity without significantly increasing demand for residential services. He also said environmental and drainage concerns would ultimately be addressed during engineering review and Ohio EPA permitting processes if development moved forward.

After hearing about 40 minutes of testimony on the zone change, trustees voted unanimously to deny the request. They did not offer any public comment on the vote.