NEW RUSSIA TWP., Ohio — Northeast Ohio’s largest mega site could be getting even bigger. And neighbors and county leaders are bracing for the change that could come with the development of the rural section of central Lorain County.
On Wednesday, combines and heavy trucks were busy harvesting the crops in the area.
“It’s taken me 38 years to build what I have at my house. It’s taken my in-laws generations to build it,” said Steve Jackson.
The New Russia Township resident farms land near his home and helps his in-laws maintain their farm in nearby New Carlisle Township. The family worries their generational farming business could be under threat by development billed as “generational change.”
“Our consultant said, ‘Boy this is great news for the township.’ And my reaction was, ‘This is devastating because it’s going to radically change the northern end of the township,’” Jackson said.
In July, News 5 reported on a $67 million state grant awarded to Lorain County to help prime a large site for new development. Watch:
RELATED: Northeast Ohio's largest 'mega site' poised to attract new industry
Utilities on 1,000 acres north and west of the Lorain County Airport will be upgraded to support potential industrial and residential development. The shovel-ready tract of land is known as a mega site.
“We’re building the foundation and we’re opening up our doors and rolling out the red carpet, saying we’re now ready,” County Commissioner Dave Moore told News 5 in July.
The county is working with Team NEO to prepare the site for development and recruit a user to move there.
The economic development organization said it does not plan to add a data center in the area. Rather, it’s looking for a single manufacturer that could ultimately support thousands of jobs and attract companion supply chain businesses.
“High-tech manufacturing that’s going to get us into the next 50-100 years, so chip manufacturing could be something like that,” said Team NEO vice president of project management and site strategies, Christine Nelson.
She said the Lorain County mega site is already the largest by far in Northeast Ohio, but it could gain a competitive edge if it added even more acreage.
“Two thousand [acres] would set us apart from every other site in the United States, not just the state,” she said.
She said the conversations are happening to acquire more land for the project.
Jackson said he and other neighbors who enjoy a rural, agricultural lifestyle worry a large development could jeopardize their way of life.
“There’s plenty of industrial property around here that could be rehabilitated. Why would you want to ruin this?” he said.
Nelson said large unused industrial sites would require costly remediation and cooperation from private owners, which has proven difficult to achieve.
“Until we can get onto those brownfield sites and those former sites, and we have willing partners on the ownership side, we have to look elsewhere,” she said.
She explained that Team NEO was considering as many as seven other sites across 14 counties for a potential mega-site. The Lorain County location offered nearby workforce options from Lorain County Community College and existing population hubs, such as Oberlin, Elyria, and Cleveland.
Access to the county airport and existing water, electricity, and sewer lines, which require minimal upgrades, were also selling points.
Nelson said Team NEO and JobsOhio hope to engage both county and township leaders, as well as neighbors, so they can address concerns.
Jackson believes the farmland is even more valuable than the industry that could occupy the mega site.
“I beg to differ with the definition of development,” he said. “To me, this is developed land. This is prime farmland.”
