Tensions build over looming 'mega site' as residents, officials meet with county commissioner

More than 100 people packed inside the South Amherst Village Hall on Monday night to express their concerns about a proposed "mega site" of more than 1,000 acres around the Lorain County Regional Airport. The residents hailed from all throughout Lorain County. For many, their issues lie in the disruptions to a rural lifestyle that they've had for generations. Others have voiced concerns of the potential future development, pointing to environmental impacts to water, air quality and sound. For Kim Polen, who lives along Russia Road just south of the regional airport, the potential impact is real — and seemingly out of nowhere. "Now we're being told this has been in planning for years," Polen said. "So absolutely, left in the dark from county commissioners and even some of the former trustees that we had." At the South Amherst Council meeting Monday evening, Lorain County Commissioner David J. Moore was addressed with question after question by residents, ranging from a lack of transparency and communication to what power, if any, county residents might have to control what may happen. Andrea Barlow, a New Russia Township resident who spoke Monday night, pleaded with local officials. "I don't know what happened to our trustees and why they got that confused, but we moved here because we value what matters: Family, our food sources, our environment," Barlow said. "Please, listen to the citizens. Stop being selfish. It's not about the dollar. It's about longevity. It's about legacy. That's what this is about." In a phone interview last week, Moore said the development around the airport, one way or another, is inevitable. "I'm looking at companies that are going to be bringing good-paying jobs," he said. "And I've gotten beaten up for this, I don't want one company with 5,000 jobs. I'd like to have 10 companies with 500 jobs. And that way we're not controlled by one industry. We've all lived through that with the steel industry and the automotive industry." For the development, Moore said the county is looking at "other industries that are tied to aviation, and there's a lot." Moore referenced potential "defense contracts, and stuff like that," adding that "that's kind of what we're looking for. Hoping to create quite a few jobs." The potential future development that has ensnarled local residents and politicians is tied to a $67 million grant that is set to be awarded to Lorain County by the state of Ohio. That funding is specifically for the expansion of utilities in the land around the regional airport — land that, according to property records, is already owned by the Lorain County commissioners and is appropriately zoned for industrial use in New Russia Township. "There's already sewers there, but what we're looking at is getting a larger pipe," Moore said. "That's just part of the overall process. We've been talking to national developers. We've been talking to companies to move out there." To Moore, the question for local residents is not if the future development can be stopped, but how they are able to play a role in the township's future. The county commissioner encouraged communities to strengthen their land-use plans. "You either want to control your development, or the developer's going to control your development," Moore said, referring to advice he had given to another township. "When you have a land-use plan, that land-use plan can help you if developers (are) coming into your community and doing something you don't want." Regardless of the plans the Lorain County Commissioners may have, local residents — specifically of New Russia Township — have debated ways of stopping what Moore said was inevitable. Polen and others have stated that the potential impacts from a mega site being developed would have a ripple effect beyond New Russia Township or South Amherst. "It's going to affect the whole county, not just New Russia Township," Polen said. Through forums and messages on social media, residents have rallied behind a collective effort to defend what is mostly farmland in the northern half of New Russia Township. A petition was created by Michael McDonald, collecting more than 3,100 signatures as of Monday afternoon. Although McDonald is an Amherst Township resident, he said he created the petition to show just how many residents of Lorain County are concerned by the potential development. "I wanted to use something to not only spread awareness of the issue, because it's really been kept in the dark the past few years … but I wanted to use it as a good gauge to show that there's a lot more people than just a few residents in New Russia Township who don't want this site," McDonald said. "People are blindsided by this." As storm clouds gathered on the horizon and lightning flashed in the sky the night of Oct. 21, nearly 50 community members gathered inside the New Russia Township Lodge to address township officials, saying they felt they had been left voiceless regarding previous discussions and decisions affecting the township. "It's frustrating, and it gives a sense of betrayal," McDonald said. "The people that work for the local government are supposed to serve us, and generally speaking, are supposed to have the people's best interest in mind." At that meeting, residents and township officials discussed possible tools to prevent the mega site. "I think the residents have something to say," said New Russia Township trustee Michelle Tyner. "The only thing that I've been told that would stop the mega site, for certainly, is land conservancy and a referendum" on "zoning changes." Outside of either meeting, others said potential future development could lead to the possibilities of job opportunities and economic growth. Moore said that actions from President Donald Trump's administration, specifically tariffs, are leading to jobs returning to the United States. "We've got a lot of activity coming on, and a lot of that has to do with the work from the White House and the tariffs and everything else bringing all these jobs back," Moore said. "And the No. 1 thing people are looking for is access to water and power and land." If more jobs are to come to Lorain County, officials argued, the educational system will have to be ready to prepare students for those opportunities. That is why the region is currently working toward the future in a synergistic way, according to Mario Codispoti, director of communications and career services for the Lorain County Joint Vocational School. "The national spotlight is focused on Ohio, and when we double down in that, it's Northeast Ohio," Codispoti said. "Lorain County is in its golden era of opportunity." Codispoti said that conversations between potential industry partners and county officials have already started to take place to align educational programs that might be needed for the jobs that may be created through the development of the mega site. "This is not just a win for Lorain County," he said. "This is a win for the Northeast Ohio region and Ohio." According to Codispoti, the future of job growth and economic development will rely on the schools of Lorain County — specifically the JVS. "The biggest puzzle piece or leverage that is going to make an organization invest in Ohio — invest in Lorain County — is truly understanding what is that talent pipeline?" Codispoti said. "Is there a vibrant workforce economy?" When asked what potential job types would be made available through a development such as the mega site, Codispoti took a broader approach to what the economic situation may look like. "When we finally identify a potential employer, an industry partner to come in and leverage that shovel-ready site, that will create a cascade of other industry, of other opportunities and even deeper possibilities for students in the K-12," Codispoti said. However, Codispoti noted that communicating with concerned residents is vital in the current moment. "We have to play an active listening role with all perspectives," Codispoti said. "We have to make it a priority to outreach, to engage, but most importantly, to educate and inform." Regardless of the opportunities that the future may bring, residents of New Russia Township said they simply want to protect their rural lifestyle. The land that Polen lives on has been a part of her family for six generations now, she said. "This was my mother-in-law's family farm," she said. "And they already lost half of their farm when the airport came in to begin with, through eminent domain, so to have it happen again to her family is sad." But the pathway to preserving some of the fields of New Russia Township may be slim. Polen and other residents noted that the current 1,000 acres around the airport is more than likely to be developed. But sticking to the township's current zoning laws could prevent the expansion of further development, Polen said. The majority of the northern half of New Russia Township is zoned for agricultural use. According to the New Russia Township zoning map, almost every single acre between Russia and Butternut Ridge Roads from the eastern and western edges of the township — more than 6,000 acres — is zoned for agricultural use. But about 1,000 acres of the northeast corner, where the Lorain County Regional Airport has sat for more than half a century, is zoned as an industrial park district. Still, local community members have vowed to fight the potential future development. "I feel like there's hope and anything can happen," Barlow said. "It's not likely that it will be stopped, but I'm still hanging on to that hope that it will be. … If it still comes, at least I know I did my part. I could sleep at night knowing that I did what I could for the future of the townships, for this whole area." Contact Garrett Looker at glooker@chroniclet.com.