TJX Opponents File Complaint Following Tuesday’s Vote
LORDSTOWN, Ohio – Opponents of the rezoning of seven parcels in Lordstown have filed a complaint in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court against the village of Lordstown and the state of Ohio.
The filing for declaratory judgment, a temporary restraining order and injunctive relief follows yesterday’s special election in the village, where voters overwhelmingly approved upholding the rezoning of nearly 300 acres of land in the village where TJX Companies Inc. plans to build a $160 million warehouse.
The case has been assigned to Common Pleas Judge Peter Kontos. A hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday.
“Everybody thought that there was a chance they would do something like this,” Lordstown Mayor Arno Hill said today.
The names of the residents who filed the complaint are: Brett Dickson, Kathy Ann Dickson, John Saxon Jr., Susan Saxon, Martin Jones, Leslie Jones, Charles Marsh, David Woodward Jr., Mark McGrail, William Decesare, Svetiana Decesare, James Gates, Ronald Krisher, Karen Krisher, Roxana Holton, Mark Holton, Robert Dellick, Michelle Dellick, Linda Ross-Bukovina, William Bukovina, Raymond Kovac, Joyce Kovac, Richard Coe and Anita Coe.
The complaint argues the legislation that authorized yesterday’s special election is unconstitutional. The final version of the bill “amended numerous unrelated sttutory provisions and covers a myriad of unrelated subjects,” according to the filing.
“Article II, Section 15(D) of the Ohio Constitution requires every piece of legislation to address only a single subject and serve a single purpose,” the complaint argues. READ COMPLAINT
The lawsuit will be heard in front of a judge, who will determine whether it has any merit. TJX has been notified but so far has not made any public statement regarding it.
“I think this is going to be a little speed bump and that’s it,” Hill said.
About the time news got out regarding the filing, TJX emailed a statement to media outlets commenting on last night’s vote.
“While the final results from the Trumbull County Board of Elections remain unofficial, we are very pleased with the current reported outcome of the referendum. We wish to thank all of those who have supported our project, both in Lordstown and the greater Mahoning Valley area,” the statement, sent by Erika Tower, TJX assistant vice president and director of corporate communications, said.
“We are excited about our plans to develop the distribution center and the resulting jobs for the people in this region. We would like to reiterate our commitment to being a respectful neighbor and member of the community and the region,” she continued.
The warehouse is expected to create 1,000 jobs when fully up and running.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
