AUSTINTOWN Support surfaces for park

The developer says residents should take time to read the petitions they are asked to sign.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Eight days after he was at the center of one of the most heated debates in township history, Jonathan Levy says he "couldn't be better."
On Nov. 14, Levy's proposal to build the Centerpointe Business Park was loudly criticized by several township residents at a five-hour township trustee hearing.
The hearing culminated in the trustees' decision to change the zoning for the 180-acre section of land between state Routes 46 and 11 slated to be the site of the park.
Since then, Levy said he's received "dozens and dozens" of phone calls from residents who support the project.
"The community support is really starting to stand out," he said.
On Thursday morning, Levy, the park's developer, appeared on WKBN's Dan Ryan radio show. All but one of the callers to the show said they supported the park.
This morning, Levy and Austintown Zoning Inspector Michael Kurilla Jr. discussed the project at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber's "Good Morning, Austintown!" breakfast. The breakfast was at Theodore's Banquet Center in Mineral Ridge.
Levy has said that 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.
"If they can do $40 million to $50 million of development on Salt Springs Road, we feel we can do that here," he said. "This is nothing more than trying to do the right thing for the community."
Lisa Oles and Sandy DeSantis, co-chairwomen of the chamber's Austintown council, wouldn't comment on the project when asked by a reporter. Other chamber representatives have expressed support for the park.
Here were concerns
Some residents have said they were worried that the park could cause drainage, traffic and noise problems, destroy the natural setting of the area and decrease the values of neighboring homes.
An organization that opposes the development of the park, Austintown's Concerned Citizens, is planning to circulate petitions to put the zone change for the park on the ballot.
Levy stressed that township residents should carefully read any petitions that they are asked to sign.
In recent weeks, trustees have expressed concern that some of those circulating petitions to put the township's strip club resolution on the ballot told residents they were working to repeal home rule.
"I just ask that people understand what they're signing when they sign it," he said. "If they think this is a solid project, consider just saying no."
At this morning's breakfast, Kurilla discussed the history of the project and analyzed some of the controversy surrounding it.
He said some of the park's opponents are still upset over a zone change 30 years ago that paved the way for the construction of the truck stop on Seventy-six Drive. The truck stop is just north of the land slated to be the site of Centerpointe.
Kurilla added that he thinks some of the opponents don't understand that trustees are required to act in the best interest of the entire township, and not just the residents at the Nov. 14 meeting.
He also said that he thinks some of the opponents have a NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) attitude regarding the park.
hill@vindy.com