Trumbull Green-Lights Aug. 21 TJX Referendum

WARREN, Ohio — The Trumbull County Board of Elections confirmed Friday that residents will vote on a referendum on the rezoning of seven parcels in the village of Lordstown, where TJX Companies Inc. wants to build a $160 million regional distribution center.

Opponents of the village’s rezoning of the seven parcels submitted 1,141 signatures Thursday.

All seven referendum petitions had sufficient valid signatures, county elections director Stephanie Penrose said. Of the total number of signatures on the seven petitions, just 34 were declared invalid.

The petitions required valid signatures from 124 village residents, said Brett Dickson, who opposes rezoning the land for the 1.2-million-square-foot warehouse.

“Now we turn [the petitions] back to the village and we proceed with the election,” Penrose said.

The estimated cost for the Aug. 21 special election is $1,200 for each of the village’s three precincts, she said. The village is required to pay 65% of the cost up front.

Village residents can begin requesting absentee ballots or voting in person at the Trumbull board of elections as early as Tuesday. On Tuesday of this week, elected officials including U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13 Ohio; Ohio Sen. Sean O’Brien, D-32; Ohio Rep. Glenn Homes, D-64; and Lordstown Mayor Arno Hill urged Lordstown residents to vote in favor of the project.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.