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Lordstown to have rally in support of HomeGoods project
By Kalea Hall
LORDSTOWN
Supporters of the HomeGoods warehouse are planning a rally Sunday to let the company know it is wanted in Lordstown.
“Until they tell me no, I will keep trying,” Lords-town Mayor Arno Hill said.
HomeGoods planned to invest $160 million to develop a 1.2-million-square-foot warehouse center on 290 acres of residential land in the village, but pushback from some residents there led the company to reconsider its options for the development.
The rally will take place at 1 p.m. at the Lordstown track/soccer complex at 1824 Salt Springs Road.
Meanwhile, leaders from other areas in the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys hope that their properties are considered for the project.
The Vindicator reported Tuesday the Penn-Northwest Development Corp. is working to convince the company to develop the warehouse in Mercer County. The company toured the suggested Mercer County site in early April, Penn-Northwest said.
Also, Campbell pitched more than 100 acres of brownfield land for the development.
State Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, said Tuesday he reached out to the company by phone and mail, asking the company to consider East Liverpool for the development. Schiavoni said he did so at the request for support from East Liverpool Mayor Ryan Stovall.
“The bottom line is whether it’s Lordstown or East Liverpool or somewhere in between, we need these jobs in the Valley,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, Youngstown City Council members Lauren McNally, D-5th; Anita Davis, D-6th; Julius T. Oliver, D-1st; Basia Adamczak, D-7th; and Michael Ray, D-4th, sent a letter to Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown to urge him and his administration to “aggressively pursue” the development opportunity.
“This is an extreme opportunity that doesn’t come often,” McNally said. “We should be banging down the door to show them something.”
The development would bring 1,000 jobs and $27 million annually in payroll to the area.
“That’s a game changer,” McNally said.
Sarah Boyarko, senior vice president of economic development for the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, said she has been in contact with city officials, and viable properties within the city have been presented to the company.
The company has worked with the chamber in its two-year search for a property for the development of the warehouse.
“I do believe that we have a solid seat at that table, and we continue to remain engaged with [HomeGoods representatives] to make sure they have everything they need in regard to our market,” Boyarko said.