BROWNHELM TWP., Ohio — A rural Lorain County community is weighing its options after out-of-town developers purchased a multi-million-dollar parcel of former farmland.
Tuesday night, a Brownhelm Township steering committee planned to hold a public meeting to discuss the township’s future land use plan.
The conversations over development in rural Lorain County in recent months have grown contentious, as the county seeks to position itself for long-term economic growth while rural communities worry about the impact on their lifestyles.
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Mike Talbott’s family was drawn to Brownhelm Township 18 years ago for the area’s open spaces and relative quiet.
“I could’ve built in Amherst. But they were on postage stamp lots. I didn’t want that. I wanted to be out in the country where I could build a shop,” he said.
Talbott runs his small business repairing and building golf carts out of the workshop on the property. Over the past six months, he and other neighbors said they feel their way of life is in jeopardy.
“It’s not something I want to hear or look at every morning when I walk out of the house,” Talbott said, pointing to an open field less than a half-mile from his property.
The roughly 170-acre stretch of land, near Middle Ridge and Baumhart roads north of the Ohio Turnpike, recently changed hands.
Property records show MBJ Holdings, LLC purchased 5 parcels for $3.34 million in October. The Central Ohio-based LLC is affiliated with the New Albany Company, which was created by billionaire Les Wexner to spearhead development in the city north of Columbus.
According to county records, MBJ Holdings LLC currently owns dozens of properties in both Franklin and Licking Counties. Some of the properties have become or are in the process of becoming data centers.
That record is what has raised concerns among Talbott and many of his neighbors.
“I believe that’s their ultimate goal is to put one out there,” he said.
The new property owner did not return our request for information on Tuesday. So far, the LLC has not filed an application for a zoning change request.
Township leaders said they haven’t had any communication from the company.
“We have no information, which is kind of fighting a ghost, if you will,” said Trustee Greg Butchko, the chair of the Brownhelm Township board of trustees.
He said the township is doing what it can to control development and listen to residents’ concerns.
“We really want to have a good plan for keeping things the way we want to live,” Butchko said.
The trustee explained that the township has already passed a 6-month moratorium on non-residential development, with the option to extend it for another six months.
On Monday evening, the trustees also began discussions about a possible resolution to regulate data centers. It’s modeled after an ordinance in Montour County, Pennsylvania.
“[We would be] setting the bar very high, that if we did have one come in, they’d have to meet a lot of criteria or maybe just decide it’s not worth it,” said Butchko.
Tuesday’s public meeting is one of the early steps in the township’s efforts to overhaul its land use plan. Butchko said the process will likely take months.
Many neighbors, including Talbott, said they plan to attend the planning and trustee meetings to voice their opposition to a possible data center.
“I’m trying to help as much as I can to fight it. I do not want to see it, at all,” said Talbott.
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Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
