Richfield Township trustees respond to residents’ zoning concerns

BERKEY, Ohio — A proposal to rezone farmland in Richfield Township has sparked concern among residents and farmers, many of whom fear the potential loss of generational land to large-scale development.

Karen Winn, representing the Loeffler family — owners of hundreds of acres in the township — says the potential rezoning could change the fabric of the community, and they are not for it.

“We’ll be a little less rich than what we could be, but we’ll be a lot richer in the way we have our family and our community,” Winn said.

RELATED: ‘We weren’t included in this process’: Community members raise concerns about proposed zoning change in Richfield Township

Last week, township officials asked the Lucas County Plan Commission to consider a zoning change to allow advanced manufacturing, a category that includes data centers and research facilities. Winn said the change could have wide-reaching consequences.

“These data centers are a much bigger issue than we probably think they are,” Winn said. 

Supporters of the idea say the economic potential is significant. Wade Gottschalk, executive director of the Wood County Economic Development Commission, pointed to Meta’s recent $800 million investment in a data center in Wood County. He said developments like that offer major financial benefits.

“Assuming this builds out as they’ve proposed for phase one, the local school district’s going to get somewhere around $900,000 a year,” he said.

Still, skeptics like Winn remain unconvinced. Her family has worked the land for decades and feels the proposal puts their livelihood at risk.

“These are people who have paid taxes all these years, made contributions to the community, and there’s a steady stream of income,” Winn said. “Now, we’re taking a little bit of a gamble because we know they have a finite life.”

Public pushback over the lack of transparency led the commission to pause the proposal for 60 days to allow for more community input. At a recent meeting, one upset resident voiced frustration, saying, “That’s my land, that’s my brother’s land, that’s my family’s land. Don’t push us out.”

Trustee Andy Lumbrezer acknowledged the process moved faster than expected, with a contractor’s letter reaching residents just 30 days after the initial talks, well ahead of the anticipated three- to four-month timeline.

“In reality, I’m glad the letter came out,” Lumbrezer said.

He added that the early communication has sparked necessary dialogue and that no firm plans or buyers are currently in place.

“If something is going across the street from us, whether it’s a data center or something else, and we have the potential to benefit from it, it’s worth the conversation,” he said.

A special zoning meeting is planned for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Richfield Township Fire Department, giving residents another opportunity to weigh in.