Lorain County plans to develop more than 1,000 acres near the Lorain County Airport, about 10 minutes outside of Oberlin, to attract industry. The plan has brought out fierce opposition from local residents angered by the County’s lack of transparency. The County has recieved a $67.4 million grant from the State, and is currently working with TeamNEO, a nonprofit economic development organization, to prepare the site for eventual development and find eventual users. Neither the State nor the County has said what industry will inhabit the area.

The development is funded through the All Ohio Future Fund, created by Governor Mike DeWine to spur large-scale economic growth in Ohio. The grant will fund an airport extension, a new wastewater plant, and an update to the sewer system. The project has been promoted by Lorain County Administrator Jeff Armbruster and County Commissioner Dave Moore, who says it will bring many jobs and better sewage access to the area. 

Tuesday, the New Russia Township trustee meeting was packed with residents, many of whom rose to give their concerns to the three trustees. Half an hour was allotted for public comment, during which residents of New Russia and neighboring towns voiced their concerns about the project, including the lack of information surrounding the development, the loss of farmland and the area’s rural environment, environmental and health impacts, and possible financial costs to taxpayers.

“It was being planned for five years without us knowing,” New Russia resident Andrea Barlow said after the trustee meeting. 

Residents mainly expressed a desire for more information. The trustees were receptive, and frequently reiterated that they did not know much more than their constituents.

New Russia Trustee Michelle Tyner said the idea was first presented at New Russia’s Land Use Plan committee meeting last June by a developer and two County officials. 

“If we reject the idea of a mega site, we were then told that we would lose the sewer project,” Tyner said. 

How the Township would reject the idea of a mega site is still unclear, but Tyner said the trustees were exploring options and had hired a law firm to assist with their next steps. A significant option that could stymie the proposal is the zoning codes of the area, some of which are still zoned for residential or agricultural use. The public hearing to deliberate the rezoning is set for Nov. 13, and at the trustee meeting, one resident urged those present to also attend the zoning meeting. 

The trustee meeting was preceded by a land-use meeting on Oct. 30, where the trustees and a consultant, Jacob Barnes, presented an updated New Russia Township 2025 Comprehensive Plan, which mentions the mega site.

“If and/or when this future development is confirmed or is inevitable, Township resistance to the development could prove futile,” the plan — which Tyner said that Barnes wrote — reads toward the end. 

This language and Barnes’ comments at the meeting infuriated residents, who voiced their ire to the trustees at Tuesday’s meeting. Multiple attendees called for Barnes to be fired. 

The movement against the project has gained traction. A Facebook group called “Save New Russia Township AND the Surrounding Areas” has gained 1,900 members as of Thursday night. At least 40 people crowded into the New Russia Lodge for Tuesday’s trustee meeting.

New Russia resident Lynn Schmitz said she wanted more information on the plans and how the Township would benefit.

“What’s the benefit for the community, right?” she said. “How is the community going to benefit from the project?”

Barlow expressed concern that the $67.4 million would run out and the Township would have to foot part of the final bill. She also spoke of utility costs potentially rising as a result of the development and, like other residents at the meeting, pointed to the planned wastewater and sewer system update as evidence that the development’s secrecy masked a data center. 

Tyner, however, denied that there were any plans to build a data center.

“[Team]NEO doesn’t want a data center there,” Tyner said. “They want something that would create more jobs.” 

TeamNEO did not respond to a request for comment.

Tyner said she agreed with the need for development, but also stressed New Russia’s agricultural identity. 

“We need to target industry for sure, but we also have to look [at] where the food’s coming from,” Tyner said. “That’s what the local farmers are really after …  it’s their livelihoods.”

Barlow also stressed the need for conscious development.

“I’m not opposed at all to any development,” she said. “I’m opposed to bad development. I want longevity.”