TRUMBULL COUNTY Further hearing due for zoning

Some residents oppose the proposed change for fear a landfill may come in.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LIBERTY -- Township trustees agreed to send a modified zoning request back to the drawing board to give the public more input.
James Rodway, township zoning inspector, said trustees could have made the modifications on their own at Wednesday's zoning hearing but decided instead to refer the issue back to the zoning commission to allow for another public hearing.
"They felt it was in the best interest of the residents," Rodway said.
At issue is a request by landowners to rezone a pie-shaped parcel from residential to industrial. The land measures roughly 90 acres, with the frontage facing state Route 304.
The township's zoning commission already had recommended that trustees vote against the change, Rodway said. State law requires a public hearing on any zoning change before legislators decide.
Residents' concerns
Residents at Wednesday's trustee meeting were concerned the new zoning designation could pave the way for a landfill in the township.
Based on residents' concerns, trustees proposed that only 60 acres be rezoned, and that it change from residential only to commercial, he said.
Rodway said his understanding was that the developers could work with the commercial zoning designation, but landowners initially asked for industrial zoning because they were informed it might make it easier to get assistance with installing sewage and water systems.
Zoning commission members will discuss the modified request at a future meeting, though no date has been set, Rodway said. Once the commission issues a recommendation, trustees will conduct another public hearing.
slshaulis@vindy.com