East Liverpool Officials Opposed to Plans for Hall China Property
EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio — Opponents of a plan to relocate a Maple Street salvage operation to the former Hall China Co. property gained some unexpected support Monday night when three city council members voiced their opposition to the move.
HLC Holdings of Newell, W. Va., owns the Anna Street property and is seeking a special zoning exception to allow Six Recycling to relocate its entire operation to the site, including junk storage and sales. Residents strongly opposed the proposed move during a Board of Zoning Appeals public hearing Jan. 13.
The board voted 4-0 to table the matter. A meeting to consider the special exception is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday.
Residents echoed their opposition during Monday’s council meeting. Residents Carolyn Hager, who lives on Stagecoach Road, and Rita Evans, who lives just feet from the pottery on Harvey Avenue, reiterated their concerns from the hearing in January.
“If you lived in that neighborhood, would you like that operation next to you?” Hager asked council. Hager, who owns rental units inside city limits, said a petition being circulated by opponents currently contains about 100 signatures.
Hager advised city officials that the location is in a neighborhood with small children who play near the former pottery. She said the operation would result in more traffic in an area where trucks already have difficulty negotiating sharp turns near the site.
“I live in East End. I don’t want that to come there,” said council President John Torma.
Evans said residents hadn’t heard anything about the project until a “flier” was sent, apparently referencing a letter required to be sent by the city Planning Department to those who live within 200 feet of the proposed facility, notifying them of the January public hearing.
“We want you to consider this,” Evans said. “We’re people up there. We don’t have much, but we have our homes and we have our pride.”
Third Ward Councilman Jeff Kreefer, a retired city firefighter, said he is “completely against it,” recollecting the “numerous times we were up there,” referring to the fire department responding to Six Recycling when a plasma cutter was being used.
“I was born and raised in East End. I’m 100% in your corner,” Kreefer said.
Also voicing his opposition was Councilman-at-Large Brian Kerr, a resident of Hill Boulevard located on the North side of the city who formerly lived on Saint George Street near Six Recycling. Kerr recalled dealing with fires and noise from its operation.
City council has no say in the special exception, which is determined solely by vote of the board of zoning appeals. However, at the end of Monday’s meeting, Torma encouraged all council members to call the board and let their positions be known.
The family-owned Six Recycling has been in operation at the Maple Street/Mulberry Street location for 32 years and has grown considerably, according to information Ray Six had offered during the public hearing. The company has outgrown the land on which it operates, he said. He estimated the current 17 employees could double at the Hall China site and would be a multimillion dollar investment.
“I’ve known the Six family all my life; they’re a great family. But I’m going by their business practices,” Torma said, opposing the relocation, particularly “putting it next to a multimillion dollar facility going in there.”
Torma was referring to the FarmaceuticalRX Medical Marijuana cultivating and processing facility across from Hall China in the former Ferro Corp. building, which has been undergoing extensive renovations for months to accommodate the medical marijuana operation.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
