A controversial development project in rural Lorain County is on hold after New Russia Township trustees voted against a zoning change that would have opened up more than 600 acres of farmland.
The trustees backed a 4-1 vote last month by the township鈥檚 planning committee against changing the farmland鈥檚 zoning from agricultural to industrial park, which would have allowed for light manufacturing projects.
The trustees said development is coming to the area eventually, but criticized county commissioners for failing to communicate with them about the scale of the project that was planned.
鈥淲e need to work together,鈥� Trustee Cynthia Breda said. 鈥淲e need to figure out how we can sustain ourselves. And there is always a threat of development. We need to dictate how that development will be in the township and how that will benefit us.鈥�
Developers and Lorain County Commissioners are proposing a 1,000-acre-plus site in New Russia Township to attract manufacturers, like semiconductor chips. The county tried to attract chip manufacturers several years ago, but those companies eventually chose other sites.
To avoid getting passed over the next time, the county wants to invest close to $500 million to build a sewer and water system in that part of the county. They also want to combine 622 acres of farmland with more than 900 acres of county land next door to create what鈥檚 being called a mega site.
After the 3-0 vote, Trustee Michelle Tyner said the township can鈥檛 support a zoning change without knowing what kind of industry is coming.
鈥淗ow can we expose the community to something we don鈥檛 know we鈥檙e exposing them to? We need safeguards,鈥� Tyner said.
In their presentations to the township planning committee and trustees, developers said a company won鈥檛 agree to come to the site before zoning rules are put in place.
The other semiconductor projects in the region 鈥� near , West Lafayette, Indiana and in Upstate New York 鈥� and, , lawsuits.
Residents fear, based on the changing economy since those announcements were made, they may end up with a data center, which use enormous amounts of water and energy and provide few jobs. a $4.5 million sales tax exemption for a Northeast Ohio data center that promises to create just 10 jobs.
It鈥檚 unclear what the next steps are for the county and developers. The largest share of the 622 acres is owned by an investment firm in Indiana, , which was recently bought by , which describes itself as a 鈥済lobal financial innovator.鈥�
Residents have expressed concerns about being sued to force a zoning change. The county risks losing a $67 million state loan if a company doesn鈥檛 move into the site.
