A Trumbull County property near the Eastwood Mall complex is the area’s preferred property to be considered for Amazon HQ

Staff report

HOWLAND

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and a group of local elected officials have chosen Enterprise Park at Eastwood as the preferred property to submit for consideration for Amazon’s second corporate headquarters.

Enterprise Park at Eastwood comprises 105 greenfield acres and is adjacent to the more than 100-acre Eastwood Mall complex.

Enterprise Park is owned by the Cafaro Co., as is the mall complex, and is primarily in Howland with small parts in Warren and Niles, said Joe Bell, the company’s spokesman.

Amazon plans to spend more than $5 billion to build another headquarters – the first is in Seattle – to employ up to 50,000 workers.

Mahoning Valley officials have acknowledged this area is unlikely to land the business, but decided to submit a proposal in an effort to work together.

“After reviewing Amazon’s criteria for HQ2 and our available property options in the Mahoning/Trumbull market, we chose Enterprise Park as the top site, as the property is closest to meeting the specifications and best suited for the project at hand,” said Sarah Boyarko, the chamber’s senior vice president of economic development.

She cited the property’s size, walkability, sense of place and access to highways and many other amenities as just some of the reasons why Enterprise Park at Eastwood fits Amazon’s requirements.

The Cafaro Co. is in the process of clearing portions of Enterprise Park, which has a number of other possible uses including apartments, light industrial, offices, health care operations and educational purposes, Bell said.

The local elected officials include Frank Fuda, chairman of the Trumbull County commissioners; David Ditzler, chairman of the Mahoning County commissioners; Warren Mayor Doug Franklin; and Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally.

The chamber will submit the Enterprise Park at Eastwood property to Team NEO and JobsOhio, which has an existing relationship with Amazon and is coordinating the submissions to the company from across Ohio.

The Regional Chamber is the designated economic development partner of Team NEO and JobsOhio and takes the lead on the local coordination of such opportunities.

Submissions are due to Amazon by Oct. 19, and the company will choose and announce the location in 2018.