WARREN Commission OKs plan to develop Sam's Club

Township officials are concerned about traffic and safety.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The city's planning and platting commission approved a plan submitted by a property owner to allow for development of a Sam's Club.
Goldco of Austintown owns the property where the DeBartolo Property Group of Pepper Pike, Ohio, wants to develop a Sam's Club. The property is in the city, but Howland controls the land along Route 46 where the driveway to reach it would be.
Howland Township Administrator Darlene St. George is concerned about traffic. She referred to a recent report from the governor's office of highway safety that listed Trumbull County's worst intersections because of crashes as one on state Route 46 near the entrance to Lowe's and the second worst at state Route 46 and 82.
"We're just asking that a traffic impact study be done and the state and the developers tell us how to deal with that traffic," St. George said.
David J. Robison, who retired earlier this year as the city's director of engineering, planning and building and community development, represented the owners and developers at Monday's meeting.
He said a traffic study was submitted to the Ohio Department of Transportation last week and ODOT hasn't issued any comments. He added that traffic is not an issue for planning commission.
Seeking ODOT's comments
Mayor Hank Angelo, a commission member, asked the owners to write a letter to ODOT asking for its comments and submit the response to the panel.
St. George said Monday's meeting was the first she's heard of a traffic study being submitted to ODOT. She said a meeting is set for 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the township administration building with representatives from ODOT, township, city and developers to discuss the issues.
Others also attended the meeting, opposed to the project. Atty. Maridee Costanzo of North Road, believes the approval is the first step to building a corridor to connect state Route 46 and North Road.
Jack Mullen, also of North Road, who also opposed the plan, believes it's the beginning of development of the area.
"Besides any future development, there begins to be edge development which starts to infringe on a fragment of what has been described as one of the finest and most unique urban wetlands in Ohio," said Mullen, who is also president of the North Road Preservation Alliance.