BEAVER TOWNSHIP B.J. Alan asks that officials lift ban on sale of fireworks

B.J. Alan wants to replace the store destroyed in September by fire.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
NORTH LIMA -- B.J. Alan Fireworks is asking Beaver Township to lift its ban on fireworks sale and storage facilities so the Youngstown-based company can build a new fireworks store near the Ohio Turnpike.
The township zoning commission is considering a proposal that would allow some fireworks sale and storage as long as certain criteria are met.
It agreed Tuesday to send a draft of the proposed change to the Mahoning County Planning Commission for review.
B.J. Alan's Phantom Fireworks store on state Route 46 was destroyed in a fire that started around 3:39 a.m. Sept. 16, said the Beaver Township Volunteer Fire Department.
The store, a 50-foot-by-60-foot metal pole building on a fenced-in property, sold small firecrackers and sparklers.
The township zoning code prohibits fireworks sales, but the Phantom Fireworks store was exempt from the rule because it opened before the ban took effect.
Michele Swope, township zoning inspector, said B.J. Alan, wants to resume selling and storing fireworks at a new location off of Market Street. The proposed site is on the opposite side of the township from the company's old store, she said.
Hearing scheduled
Swope said the county planners are expected to discuss the issue at their meeting Nov. 25. The township zoning commission scheduled a public hearing on the matter for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2, and it will make a recommendation to township trustees sometime after that meeting.
Township trustees will make the final decision on whether to overturn the fireworks prohibition to accommodate Zoldan's request, she said.
The change proposal drafted by township zoning officials lists nine criteria for fireworks businesses, including limiting such companies to industrial and commercial zoning districts, requiring that they be at least 300 feet from any property boundary line, and only be placed on sites served by water and sanitary sewer systems.
It would ban storage of fireworks in vehicles, trucks or trailers except for delivery purposes.
Bruce J. Zoldan, president and chief executive of B.J. Alan, could not be reached to comment.
Following procedure
"This is the process that the township must follow," said George Smerigan, township planning consultant.
"Once it's open for discussion, the planning commission and the trustees can decide whether to do away with the prohibition. There's a whole process the township must go through. By sending it to the county, the township is opening it up for discussion and review. Then they can decide whether to change it."
Smerigan said if the township were to change its stand on the issue, he would recommend several conditions be placed on retailers. For example, the township could require a retailer to have a fire-prevention plan in place.
"If the township decides to allow the sale of fireworks, it would be recommended that there be conditions and criteria the retailer must meet," he said.