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JACKSON TOWNSHIP -- Trustees denied a rezoning request Tuesday night from Terreri Joseph LLC for a land parcel of 68 acres at 1432 N. Bailey Road that was recently bought by Terreri Joseph.
The application requested a zone change from Agriculture, Suburban, Estate, Residential (A-SER) to General Industrial (I-2).
The Mahoning County Planning Commission approved of the zone change on July 20. However, the Jackson Township Zoning Commission later denied the change on Aug. 12, which left the decision up to trustees.
The LLC's owners, Tom Joseph and Kyle Terreri, also own the Daniel A. Terreri & Sons general contracting company in Youngstown. After the meeting, Kyle Terreri said they're looking to move Terreri & Sons headquarters back to Jackson Township because it's their hometown and they need additional workspace. The zone change is needed to do this.
"It would be an office and warehouse," Terreri said. "Tom (Joseph) and I both live in Jackson Township. Daniel A. Terreri & Sons was previously headquartered in North Jackson from about 2000 to 2015. We've about outgrown the space on Meridian Road (in Youngstown). That's why we felt it was time to look back to North Jackson."
Terreri argued that Terreri & Sons relocation would benefit the local community, saying that they'd, "be bringing some jobs into town, and improving the local tax base."
Terreri & Sons new building would only take up 10 to 12 acres of the parcel, with Terreri saying that the rest of the land would be vacant for the time being.
Youngstown-based attorney Michael Thompson argued that Terreri Joseph's rezoning application was legally viable and in line with Jackson Township's land use plan.
Local residents who attended the trustees meeting voiced concerns about Terreri & Sons development, with resident Lynda Sonnenlitter questioning why only a fraction of the parcel would be developed.
"What he wants to do with that property is to rezone it in order for them to profit off of the property," Sonnenlitter said. "I can't imagine that any successful business person would spend $600,000 on a piece of property to only utilize 10 acres for a construction business. That would really not be a wise business decision in my opinion."
Other residents, like Patricia Bone, voiced concerns that future industrial development on the parcel would encroach on surrounding homes and residential areas. She also criticized that there didn't seem to be a clear answer on how Terreri & Sons would use the vacant section of the parcel.
"We bought our property about 34 years ago because we wanted to be in the country. We wanted to be away from industry and everything else. And it just seems like everything's coming closer and closer to all our homes," Bone said. "You haven't given us any indication that you're gonna leave it the way it is, or whether you're gonna try and reparcel it out, and sell it."
Terreri addressed these concerns, saying, "Does the possibility of future development exist? Of course it does, and that's a conversation that will come up at that time. There will be plenty of views, and more opportunities for further discussion about the nature of what that development should be."
Trustees voted no on the rezoning application after the discussion took place. The next Jackson Township trustees meeting will be Oct. 13.