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Port authority OKs lease agreements

GM-LG Chem, mall projects move forward

The Western Reserve Port Authority gave the final OKs on Wednesday to capital lease agreements for the General Motors / LG Chem battery-cell plant in Lordstown and DeBartolo Commons at the Southern Park Mall.

The moves push the projects forward and save money on building costs through a sales tax exemption available to port authorities in Ohio on construction-related materials.

The deal with GM / LG Chem should be closed in the next couple months. Meanwhile, the deal with Columbus-based Washington Prime Group, which operates the mall in Boardman, transitions from a temporary term sheet / certificate to permanent.

The Lordstown Planning Commission earlier this week gave final site approval for the battery-cell manufacturing facility, the permission the automaker needed to start pouring concrete and laying underground pipe. The plan also sites the buildings on the 158-acre piece of land, and sizes roads and parking lots, among other things at the more than $2 billion facility.

At the mall, Washington Prime anticipates investments of $30 million over the next few years. DeBartolo Commons is a planned athletic and entertainment green space and entertainment venue.The project already has a $6 million tax offset from Mahoning County.

Also Wednesday, port authority Executive Director John Moliterno announced the agency applied for a federal grant of $25 million to help remake state Route 45 in Lordstown, Warren and North Jackson into a smart corridor.

Another application for a planning grant of $1 million was also made to the U.S. Department of Transportation through its BUILD — Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Developments — program.

The other local groups involved are the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber, Lordstown, the Ohio Turnpike and Youngstown State University. They hope to capitalize on the energy and momentum surrounding next-gen technology happening in Lordstown, including the General Motors / LG Chem battery-cell plant and Lordstown Motors Corp., which hopes to start making battery-powered pickup trucks in early 2020.

The plan includes lining the route from the North Jackson / Lordstown area to downtown Warren with high-speed internet fiber, adding intermodal capability and developing autonomous vehicles, including freight. Bailey Road in Lordstown also could be connected to the high-speed fiber.

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