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Youngstown council postpones vote on move
YOUNGSTOWN
City council members postponed a vote to help facilitate the relocation of a scrap-metal supplier to V&M Star citing concerns about zoning and aesthetics.
Before deciding, council members want to hear more details about the proposed move of Metalico Youngstown.
Metalico is on Division Street extension, property V&M needs for its expansion project. The company, which supplies V&M with scrap metal, is looking to move to the Ross Industrial Park on the city’s East Side.
The city’s administration wants council’s support to have Youngstown purchase about 45 acres of the park for $540,000 to allow the relocation. V&M II, a subsidiary of V&M Star that is building a $650 million expansion project, would reimburse the city for the move.
Council decided Wednesday to have its economic development committee meet with Metalico officials and others to discuss the move.
The park is zoned light industrial and probably would need to be rezoned heavy industrial for the move to occur, said Councilman DeMaine Kitchen, D-2nd.
“Cosmetically speaking, [Ross] is a warehouse,” he said. “This would be a scrap yard.”
“My issue is, it’s going to be scrap yard,” said Councilwoman Annie Gillam, D-1st. “I know what scrap yards look like. My constituents don’t want to look [at one].”
Officials with Metalico Youngstown couldn’t be reached late Wednesday by The Vindicator.
Mayor Jay Williams said council’s decision won’t impact the proposed move, and he doesn’t have an issue with its members seeking more information.
Ross is owned by a subsidiary of the Cafaro Co.
Joe Bell, the Cafaro Co.’s spokesman, said, “It’s a promising deal that’s being put together. We’re waiting for all the parties to finalize” the deal.
Council also referred a companion piece of legislation Wednesday to its economic-development committee for further discussion.
That legislation is to accept 18.3 acres and $280,000 from Ross with a business similar to Metalico locating there.
Also Wednesday, council unanimously voted in favor of a resolution opposing a state bill that restricts the collective-bargaining rights of about 350,000 public employees.
The bill passed in the Republican-controlled state Senate by a 17-16 vote Wednesday. It now goes to the Ohio House.
Members of council said the bill is too restrictive and takes away too many rights from unionized public employees.