LORAIN — The proposal to build a limestone crushing plant in Lorain has been revived.

Two weeks after rejecting a proposal to rezone 15 acres of land where the plant was to be built, City Council on Tuesday agreed to rescind that vote in favor of having a public hearing about it.

The hearing will be 6 p.m. Feb. 11, and the Council likely will vote again on the rezoning the following week.

On Jan. 7, Council voted 8 to 2 without any discussion to deny a zoning change for property at the Riverbend Commerce Park, formerly known as the Colorado Industrial Park, from industrial to heavy industrial so the plant could be built. Only Councilmen Eddie Edwards, D-5th Ward, and Mitchell Fallis, D-at large, voted for the rezoning.

The vote quashed the plans of Oglebay Norton, the Cleveland company that had proposed the plant and promised it would create 12 to 20 jobs.

But Tony Giardini, the attorney representing Oglebay Norton, submitted a letter to the city saying he believed the vote violated city ordinances, arguing that a public hearing must always be held on a zoning change. Giardini is also the head of the Lorain Democratic Party.

After researching the issue, Lorain Law Director Mark Provenza agreed with Giardini, and on Tuesday he recommended that Council rescind its vote and hold a public hearing. Council voted 7 to 3 to that effect.

Tim Howard, D-3rd Ward, said he changed his vote because he wanted to give the public a chance to be heard. All he had to go on the first time around was negative information provided by Councilwoman Melanie Szabo, I-1st Ward, who represents the area where the plant would go and who says residents there have told her they don’t want it, he said.

“I would like to hear the public speak out on this just to see if it’s in the best interest of the city,” Howard said.

Agreeing with Howard were Councilmen Bret Schuster, D-4th Ward, Greg Holcomb, D-6th Ward, Micky Silecky, D-7th Ward, Craig Snodgrass, D-8th Ward, Edwards and Fallis.

Silecky said he also did not have enough information during the first vote and didn’t want to approve something about which he knew little.

“None of us are against businesses coming here, we’re just cautious about what businesses and when they’re coming here,” he said.

Voting against the reopening the issue were Councilwomen Szabo and Anne Molnar, D-at large, and Councilman Dennis Flores, D-2nd Ward.

Molnar said she supports the plant coming to Lorain but would like to see it go to another location because she doesn’t want heavy industry to destroy the beauty of the Commerce Park.

Contact Adam Wright at 329-7151 or awright@chroniclet.com.

 

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