The zoning board of commission voted 3-1 to recommend denying a controversial rezoning proposal tied to a potential large-scale industrial development.
LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — A packed meeting at the New Russia Township Administrative Office ended in cheers Tuesday night as the township’s zoning commission voted 3-1 to recommend denying a controversial rezoning proposal tied to a potential large-scale industrial development.
Dozens of residents filled the room, many of them emotional as they urged officials to stop the project.
“There’s people all over this county who want these things; we don’t!” one resident, moved to tears, told the board. “There isn’t a person in this room who wants it other than the people who don’t live here.”
The rezoning request, submitted by Liberty Development, would have converted 622 acres of agricultural and residential land near the Lorain County Regional Airport into industrial use. The firm has said the land was selected because it is close to major highways, is a buildable location and sits near an airport.
Residents have been expressing concerns for months, worried that an industrial park or potential “mega site” would bring air pollution, increased traffic, the loss of farmland and major changes to the township’s rural character.
“There are people who have built here, people who want to stay here,” another resident said. “This is not in the middle of nowhere.”
When the zoning commission voted to recommend denying the rezoning request, the room erupted in applause.
The recommendation now heads to the New Russia Township Board of Trustees, which will have the final say on the proposal.