Canfield residents stand firm on Wal-Mart opposition

Traffic was a big concern to the residents.

By JEANNE STARMACK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

CANFIELD — Another group of township and city residents filed into MetroParks McMahon Hall Wednesday to tell Wal-Mart: We like what we have here. We don’t want your supercenter.

Just like residents in the first group Wal-Mart hosted Tuesday in two public meetings this week, concerns centered on how the 187,000-square-foot supercenter would affect the quality of life for residents.

Particularly affected, many pointed out, would be Raccoon Road residents at the western boundary of the property Wal-Mart is eyeing.

Wal-Mart needs a zone change from residential to commercial for 14 of 27 acres the supercenter would occupy. That undeveloped property is in the township between Raccoon and the Ohio Turnpike and behind commercial properties on U.S. Route 224.

The company must follow procedure for the change by going to the Mahoning County Planning Commission, which would either recommend approval or denial. Then, the company would go before the township zoning commission, another recommending body. The township trustees would have the final say.

Bill Reese, a township trustee, said at Wednesday’s meeting he speaks for himself, but he will not vote in favor of the supercenter. He said he believes the other two trustees feel the same way.

Nonetheless, Ron Mosby, Wal-Mart’s senior manager of public affairs, said after the meeting that the company will consider all comments, then prepare a new proposal for the county commission.

If the trustees do vote against the zone change, the company can appeal that decision to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Wal-Mart reps heard complaints about how the supercenter would affect the community. Traffic was a big issue.

Reese said Route 224 from state Route 11 to state Route 170 had the highest number of accidents in the state.

Wal-Mart would have two access roads from 224, one across from the Westford development and the other between Summit and Raccoon roads. Company representatives said Wal-Mart would do what is needed to make the traffic flow smoothly for the part of the road the store would affect.

Other roads in the area that would be affected by increased traffic, some pointed out, would be Raccoon, Shields and Western Reserve.

Raccoon Road is bad now, said John Van Brocklin, who lives there.

The possibility of an access road in the future from Raccoon into the Wal-Mart property also concerns him. Wal-Mart reps acknowledged that possibility. The rear of the store, including its loading docks, would face west, or toward Raccoon.

What about buffer areas to shield residents, some people wanted to know. Others wanted to know if bright lights from the parking lot would be a problem. Company reps said those issues would be addressed.

Many people offered reasons why Wal-Mart isn’t admired. It doesn’t offer employees adequate health-care coverage, said Ruth Madden, a city resident and registered nurse. She said workers without adequate insurance are ending up on Medicaid rolls.

Wal-Mart offers full-time employees benefits after six months and part-time workers benefits after a year, Mosby said, adding that there are plenty of working people without health insurance at all.

School district representatives, Superintendent Dante Zambrini and board member Adrienne Sturm, said Wal-Mart has a reputation for short-changing schools by getting tax relief.

But it was city resident Gerri Mikes who brought up the central question of the zone change — would it be good or bad for the community?

“This community has a land-use plan that identifies goals for development,” she said, and the people of the community believe the land’s best use is residential.