BOARDMAN, Ohio - The Boardman Zoning Commission denied a proposal by Meijer to build a gas station at Lockwood Boulevard and Tippecanoe. But, trustees could still overturn the decision and approve the request.

 

Groundbreaking on the Meijer grocery store is expected to happen next month. The developer wants to expand the project to include a gas station and convenience store directly across the street.

 

"Which is about a 33-hundred square foot building and six gas dispensers," said Real Estate Manager Chris Jones.

 

Currently sitting on the land the company is interested in obtaining are two homes. Meijer is already in talks with those homeowners and is looking for Boardman leaders to approve a zone change to make the properties "commercial."

 

Officials with Meijer told Boardman's zoning commission the gas station would include a buffer zone.

 

But still, at least one resident told the board the zone change wasn't right for her neighborhood.

 

"These people don't live in Boardman," she told the board.

 

The zoning commission ultimately voted against the zone change noting traffic and congestion.

 

"It's a major issue, 224 and Lockwood and 224 at Tippecanoe, and now with this gas station they'd like to put in, it just compounds the issue and makes it even worse," said Zoning Commission Chairman Pete Lymber.

 

Their recommendation to deny the zone change will be forwarded on to trustees, who can make the decision to overturn the decision, which is what happened when Meijer originally proposed coming to Boardman. 

 

"We initially denied Mejer from coming into Boardman. Trustees, as you mentioned, overturned that," said Lymber. "Hopefully, someone will find the Lord and deny it because we can't keep going on like this with the commercial property moving slowly up Tippecanoe or up Lockwood."

 

It's not clear when trustees will vote.