New Russia Township Zoning Commission delays 'mega site' decision to Jan. 5 (UPDATED)

This story has been corrected to fix an error in the location of the acreage proposed for rezoning. The New Russia Township Zoning Commission has delayed its decision on a controversial 622-acre rezoning request until the first week of the new year. No decision was made following an hourslong hearing Thursday at the township lodge. Hundreds attended the meeting, dozens of whom spoke in opposition of the proposed rezoning of residential/agricultural and general business parcels to an industrial park designation. The Zoning Commission announced a special meeting to vote on the rezoning will be 6 p.m. Jan. 5 in the Cedar East room at the New Russia Township hall. Messages seeking comment were left Friday for township zoning officials and all three members of the Board of Trustees. Zoning Commission Chairman James Griner said Thursday the commission could approve the request, deny it or approve it with modifications. The zoning commission is made up of five members and two alternates appointed by township trustees. The final decision on the rezoning request rests with township trustees, who must hold a public hearing on the matter within 30 days of the zoning commission's decision. Most of the 622 acres lie between Oberlin Road and state Route 58 north of Russia Road. Slides from a previous presentation on the plan and a map of the airport can be found at newrussiatownship-oh.gov. The Lorain County Planning Commission already has signed off on the proposed rezoning, one step in the process of developing a proposed "mega site" on land near the Lorain County Regional Airport on Russia Road. Residents said the property is farmable land and they want it to stay that way. They raised concerns over possible air, water, noise and light pollution; increased traffic; years worth of construction; the loss of the township's rural nature; the effect on property values; government overreach into their private lives; and the lack of concrete plans for the mega site. Lorain County has just under 100,000 acres of farmland, according to U.S. Census data, accounting for nearly 1/3 of all acreage in the county. A Change.org petition titled "Stop the construction of a mega site in New Russia Township, OH" had 3,921 signatures as of 4 p.m. Friday. Signs reading "No mega site" can be seen in yards all throughout the township. No final decision on what the "mega site" will be when developed has been announced. Liberty Development Company is representing property owners Ceres Farms, Huron County Holdings and Richard Pleasnick in their rezoning request. Ceres Farms, headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, invests in U.S. farmland. It was purchased in July by WisdomTree, a New York-based company that invests in AI data infrastructure among other business ventures, according to an online news release. Residents have said they're worried the site will be end up being a data center to power artificial intelligence, or AI technology. Such centers are criticized for using large quantities of water and electricity they consume and for releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. Lorain County received $67.4 million from the state to develop utilities to attract development to the mega site. County Commissioner David Moore, a Republican, has said he hopes to attract multiple businesses to the mega site — not just one large one. The township rezoned 1,000 acres of property at the airport to industrial park, or IP, last year. Plans are also to lengthen the airport runway to be able to handle more air freight. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com