TJX

TJX

Response

Rezoning of nearly 300 acres of residential property in Lordstown for a 1.2 million square-foot warehouse expected to employ 1,000 people was subject of a referendum in August and approved by voters. Journalists in the Mahoning Valley said they were unable to obtain answers to some of the questions that arose prior to the vote, both from TJX and community officials. For this story, the questions below were emailed to Erika Tower, director of corporate communications for The TJX Companies in Framingham, Mass.

How many total jobs?

Total estimated annual payroll?

How many full-time jobs?

How many part-time jobs?

Range and median and average annual salaries for full-time?

Range and median and average hourly wage range for part-time?

Depending on the answers to the above, is the $12 an hour estimate of average wage accurate?

Other than jobs questions:

How much will the company save on tax abatement over 10 years?

How much does the job creation tax credit amount to?

Does the company plan to make any transportation accommodations/investments to enable workers from elsewhere in the region (esp. Warren) can get to the warehouse complex?

Who will be responsible for maintaining the 100-acre buffer zone around the complex?

Will the company be asking for or getting naming rights for the school athletic facilities?

What did the residential property have that the nearby industrially zoned property did not?

Full response from Tower:

“Thank you again for your interest in our HomeGoods distribution center project. As I mentioned before, we take a quiet approach at TJX, and we wouldn’t get into specifics on most of your questions. That said, we believe this project will bring many economic benefits to Lordstown and the Mahoning Valley, including at least 1,000 jobs, opportunities for local college students, and financial support for the Lordstown Local School District. We expect to hire a range of positions, from entry-level roles to supervisory and manager positions across a variety of functions, including distribution center operations as well as support positions in human resources, information technology, and finance. Beyond that, we wouldn’t have anything to add.”