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Council makes moves toward expanding limits
CANFIELD
City council made the first moves toward expanding its boundaries by consenting to the proposed annexation of 22 acres of township land on Palmyra Road.
The land, south of U.S. Route 224, is property of MALA Properties Ltd. of Canfield. It also will make the development of nearby Red Gate Farm a real possibility.
City officials said if the annexation occurs, the developer has talked about constructing single-family homes.
City Manager Joe Warino said passing the resolution was just the first step in annexing the property. If the property is annexed, he hopes it would be a source of jobs and income for the city.
As far as taxes, the city would receive income taxes and the township would receive real-estate taxes.
“It’s a win-win for both,” Warino said.
Although council approved a resolution extending services, including water and sewer to the potentially annexed property, Warino said it is incumbent upon the developer to extend the water and sewer lines to the property.
A decision should be made on the annexation within the next 60 days. The time frame allows Canfield Township trustees to also enact legislation on the issue and for a ruling of the Mahoning County Planning and Zoning Commission.
Trustees declined to comment Wednesday night on the city’s action, adding that they will discuss the issue at their upcoming meeting Sept. 20.
Another source of income may later come from a city-owned property that lines the southern border of the property described previously – Red Gate Farm, a 290-acre property on Leffingwell Road and U.S. Route 62.
It was purchased for $2.3 million 13 years ago and has since sat undeveloped, bringing in $33,000 a year since 2014 leasing 200 acres to Martig Farms of Beloit.
When Red Gate originally was bought, city officials planned to annex the land, but were unable to because the land did not abut the city border.
The Palmyra property, if annexed, will connect the city to Red Gate.