Erie County officials say public hearings on the project will be held in the weeks and months ahead. But Girard Township residents say they should have been informed earlier.
A.J. RaoErie Times-News
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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story indicated that a public hearing will be held Tuesday at the Girard Township Building. The meeting will be held in the Girard High School auditorium.
GIRARD ― Several residents of Girard Township were recently caught off guard when they realized Erie County officials planned to develop a nearly 200-acre business park in their backyard by 2024.
The park, which is slated for the green space across from Pleasant Ridge Manor, and which stretches across Fairview and Girard townships, aims to be a magnet for businesses and a generator of jobs and revenue, said Erie County Executive Brenton Davis.
But many Girard Township residents say they never heard of the plan and were "blindsided" when Erie County Council approved a resolution July 11 that effectively transferred the 194-acre publicly-owned property to the Erie County Redevelopment Authority, according to a July 14 letter obtained by the Erie Times-News.
"We are deeply disappointed by the action taken on this project without any thought of the residents who will be most affected by the business park," stated the letter, which was sent on behalf of "several Girard Township residents" to Davis, County Council and other public officials.
"We get that the intention is to help the Erie economy. However, since all Erie County residents (and especially those in Girard and Fairview townships) were left out of the process, it felt like this resolution was proposed and approved in an almost secretive manner. Rather, this resolution should have gone through a more public process."
Redevelopment Authority CEO Tina Mengine told the Times-News that public hearings will be held in the weeks and months ahead, adding it was "premature to engage the citizens" prior to council approving the resolution.
Erie County Public Information Officer Chris Carroll added in a statement that "before any meaningful conversation could occur" with residents, a "framework for possible development" was required.
"As the developer of this project,the Erie County Redevelopment Authority is creating a framework to communicate with the community about the scope of the development," he said. "We expect a robust hearing phase to be administered by Director Mengine and her team that will protect the public interest."
Fairview Township resident: 'It was all pretty hush-hush'
Girard Township residents like Mark Fournier were not satisfied by the county's response. ,
Fournier, who lives on Daggett Road, which sits next to the proposed park space, said the county should have engaged with the public prior to the land transfer.
"This was county-owned property, so (the resolution) should have been at least tabled for a public hearing," he said.
Fournier, along with the residents who penned the letter, voiced concern about potential impacts of the park, such as increased traffic on U.S. Route 20 and population growth that could affect housing and schools.
Fairview Township resident Steve Wiser said he was concerned about the loss of farm land.
"They're taking the best farm ground away from the whole community," he said.
Wiser, who had leased the green space from the county and farmed it for roughly 50 years, said the Davis administration informed him last fall that his lease would end Dec. 31, 2022.
He acknowledged the county had every right to terminate the lease, but said residents should have been given an opportunity to discuss these changes because it was public land.
"It was all pretty hush-hush," Wiser said. "In the community, half the people thought I died because I wasn't farming the land anymore. Some people thought I was sick."
Rennie: 'Steady lack of transparency' by administration
County Council Vice Chairperson Mary Rennie addressed the matter during the July 11 council meeting, arguing council had little notice of the resolution and that a public hearing should have been held with Girard and Fairview township residents before it came to a vote.
"People have the right to know what's on the table for them," she said. "The county should have had public meetings before ceding the land."
Rennie, a Democrat who voted against the resolution and attempted to table it, said the county's lack of public engagement prior to the vote was reflective of an "ongoing and steady lack of transparency" in the Davis administration.
"Erie County taxpayers are the true owners of that property," she told the Times-News. "Maybe it will be a great project. It doesn't justify a land transfer — public land — without the public knowing about it."
Davis and Mengine first presented the full council a tentative plan for the park during a June 29 work session. On July 6, the council's finance committee advanced the resolution to the regular council meeting July 11. Finance meetings do not include a public comment period.
The resolution passed on a 5-2 vote. Rennie and Councilman Andre Horton were the two nay votes.
Township supervisors say details have been sparse
Girard and Fairview township supervisors also say information on the project has been minimal.
During the June 29 work session with council, Davis pointed out that, "Both townships — both Girard and Fairview — we brought them in early so the development of this plan was actually side by side with these folks."
Girard Township Supervisor Lindy Platz said Girard Township hasn't been invited to any discussions.
"No one has really talked to us about anything," she said. "We have not been included in any of the planning process — nothing."
While Platz acknowledged that Girard Township is only expected to have roughly 20 acres of the park, with Fairview Township getting the bulk, she said "20 acres is still 20 acres," and Girard Township homes will still be very close to the development.
"Residents are up in arms," she said. "We didn't know anything about this."
Fairview Township Supervisor Justin Pecansky said he's had "small-talk discussions" with county officials about the project but "no concrete discussions."
"It does seem like it's been kind of pushed through quickly," he said. "I talked to some residents wanting (council) to table (the resolution). They didn't know anything about it. We really didn't know much about it other than them wanting to build something there."
"I want to hear from my residents," he added. "We're elected officials. We got to do what's best for Fairview."
Public meetings scheduled, county officials say concerns will be addressed
Mengine said the Redevelopment Authority intends to meet with township officials and residents, starting at the Girard supervisors meeting Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Girard High School auditorium. Another meeting is planned Aug. 14 in Fairview Township.
"We will address all of their concerns as best we can," Mengine said, adding the park is not a done deal and has to be approved by the townships in terms of rezoning the land.
"It's up to the supervisors to decide if this fits into their vision of their community and whether they want to see their community grow in this manner or not," Mengine said.
She added that her projection that construction would begin June 2024 was a "best-case scenario where everything falls into place," — a scenario, she said, "that rarely happens."
"I know that change is often scary but I would only ask that people at least let us share our thoughts and plans and let us hear your thoughts. This will take some time. I want to assure everybody that we're going to be as open and transparent as possible."
Council approves resolution: Erie County Council approves plan to develop first business park in 25 years
More about business park plan: Fairview and Girard townships could be home to new 200-acre business park. Here's what we know
A.J. Rao can be reached atarao@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter@ETNRao.
