AUSTINTOWN Business park petitions are in

If the petitions are certified, the zone change won't take effect unless voters approve it.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Township officials have received petitions to place a zone change for the proposed Centerpointe business park on the 2003 ballot.
The petitions, which list 1,948 signatures, were submitted to township Clerk Michael Kurish by Lanterman Road resident Jamie Williams and East Radio Road resident Paul Cubellis on Friday afternoon. The deadline for submitting the petitions was Saturday; the number of signatures needed was 997.
Township officials will keep the petitions for 10 days before sending them to the Mahoning County Board of Elections. The board has to confirm the signatures are from township residents in order to certify the petitions.
If certified, the zone change would not take effect unless township voters approve it in the November 2003 general election. Without the zone change, the project would be blocked.
Township trustees voted Nov. 14 to change the zoning for the 180-acre proposed park site from agricultural, residential and business to light industrial. The land is between state Routes 46 and 11 along Interstate 80.
Cubellis said those who signed the petitions wanted to "put it on the ballot and let everybody vote yes or no."
He said he believes more signatures could have been collected if the weather had been better, adding that some petitions were discarded because of errors. He didn't discuss the errors further.
Group opposes park
Cubellis is a member of Austintown's Concerned Citizens, an organization that opposes the development of the park. Williams is the chairman of the group.
The zone change would appear on the November ballot, unless a special election is held in May.
Centerpointe Developer Jonathan Levy has said the park could become the site of $45 million worth of buildings for warehouses, retail businesses and offices. Those companies could create 1,000 to 1,500 jobs during the next 10 years, he said.
"We're going to do whatever we can to preserve our development," he stressed.
"We believe strongly that the vast majority of people in Austintown are in favor of this," he added. "The vast majority of people understand what we're trying to do. We want to do something positive for the community."
Residents' worries
Some residents have said they worry that the park could cause drainage, traffic and noise problems, destroy the natural setting of the area, and decrease the values of neighboring homes.
Cubellis said Austintown's Concerned Citizens hadn't decided if or how they would campaign against the zone change. The group's Web site, saynotoindustrial.org, is in the process of being redesigned for the election.
"Right now, it's just, 'Have a nice Christmas,'" Cubellis said.
Trustee David Ditzler said he is disappointed that township residents signed the petitions. He said he believes the park represents an opportunity for controlled economic development in the township, as opposed to a "hodgepodge" of construction in different locations.
Ditzler also noted that the park is adjacent to only two homes, both on Rutland Avenue.
"It's amazing that people will sign petitions for the two homes that are affected," he said.
Ditzler added, however, that he wasn't surprised at the number of signatures on the petitions, since 1,749 signatures were listed on petitions to place the township's strip club resolution on the ballot.
hill@vindy.com