TJX Keeps Options Open as Lordstown Work Advances

LORDSTOWN, Ohio – Planning and design work are advancing on a proposed regional distribution center for a TJX Companies Inc. subsidiary, Mayor Arno Hill said this morning, even as other sites appear to be under consideration.

Massachusetts-based TJX submitted an application Tuesday for a 10-year, 75% property tax abatement being sought for the project.

According to the application submitted to the Trumbull County Planning Commission, the abatement “will make the property competitive with other alternative sites being considered” for the logistics facility, which would service the TJX HomeGoods stores.

The project would cost between $140 million and $170 million. Employment is projected to reach 600 full-time workers by 2022 and 1,000 by 2024.

A HomeGoods spokeswoman declined comment his morning, but the company is moving forward with engineering work at the proposed site, Hill reported.

“They are still doing engineering and design work. They want to get it done one time and get it done right,” he said. A site plan, which the village planning commission must approve, should be filed after the first of the year, he predicted.

The only aspect of the plan that might need Village Council’s approval is a proposed vacation of Hallock Young Road, he said.

Sarah Boyarko, chief operating officer of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and director of its economic development division, said she has had several conversations with TJX representatives. That the company was considering other possibilities is not unusual in economic development, she said.

“Until the very end and a formal announcement from any company, there’s always opportunities at play,” she said. “In my view this is the most ideal location, but there are always options.”

The abatement request is expected to go before Village Council Dec. 3, Hill said.

Assuming Council approves it, the application will then go before Trumbull County Commissioners, who will conduct a public hearing before voting on it that day, said Nick Coggins, economic development coordinator for the county. Barring any issues, the process “should be completed by the end of the year,” he said.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.