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Austintown trustees clear way for Chick-fil-A

AUSTINTOWN — The popular chicken fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is on track for arrival in Austintown.

Township trustees at a public hearing Monday approved a zoning change for 5657 Mahoning Ave. from agricultural to business, allowing for the eatery to be built there.

The current plan is to put the Chick-fil-A on the property owned by Jeanmarie Delisio and partially on the old Mashorda’s County Gardens property.

Before the meeting, only the Delisio property was considered agricultural while the Mashorda site already was classified as a business.

Every surrounding property also is classified for business use, according to a township zoning map.

At the moment, Chick-fil-A has an option on the land until January.

The approval of the zoning change means construction can start next year.

The site has been vacant since the closing of Mashorda’s there.

“The Austintown residents have been calling for the last eight to 10 years asking if a Chick-fil-A is coming to the area. I haven’t had one resident call me and tell me, ‘We don’t want this’,” zoning Inspector Darren Crivelli said. “It seems like the residents of Austintown are really looking forward to this project.”

Not many attended Monday’s hearing, but those who were on hand to hear the trustees’ decision did not have objections to the proposed change.

Trustee Steve Kent said he anticipates a boost in the local economy. The nearest standalone, full-service Chick-fil-A to Austintown is located at 1110 Boardman Poland Road in Poland.

“We’ll bring in people from local communities who previously went to that location so hopefully we will be able to bring in more people,” Kent said.

The rezoning was approved unanimously and will go into effect 30 days from Monday’s hearing.

At the end of the hearing, Trustee Jim Davis jokingly said to Ellen Selle, a representative from Chick-fil-A, that he is holding her personally responsible for his diet– which will inevitably be in shambles.

“Austintown is very excited to have you as a part of our community,” Davis said to Selle.

Selle said during the hearing that construction will begin in 2021.

nhawthorne@tribtoday.com

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