Speedway renovation plans cause backlash from Rootstown residents

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A proposal to rebuild and expand the Speedway gas station in Rootstown Township is currently in question as residents on Lynn Road are concerned about noise, light and air pollution, as well as the neighborhood’s existing troubles with flooding.

Lynn Mansfield, of Rootstown, lives on Lynn Road and said she previously sued the township because of an issue with a storm pipe in her backyard.

“Whenever it rains, it’s like a pond back there. Geese from Muzzy Lake come over to swim in it. … We fight with this constantly,” Mansfield said.

Zoning Inspector Jim Mahood said he was approached with the proposal by Speedway representatives earlier this year. The company plans to rebuild, adding a larger store, more pumps and room for semis.

Jamal Kheiry, communications manager at Marathon Petroleum Corp., said the company assesses and responds to market needs. However, if the project is approved, the larger location is not guaranteed to create more jobs, as the company will once again assess the demand in Rootstown.

Rootstown’s Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing to discuss the plan at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Rootstown Town Hall. Mahood said residents will have the right to ask questions at the meeting, and the Zoning Commission will take the issue to a vote.

If the Zoning Commission does approve the plan, the project will then be passed on to  James Bierlair, district coordinator of Portage Soil & Water Conservation District.

“My job is to make sure that, when they do have a project, that it gets done properly,” Bierlair said. “Myself and my engineer will work on that project—mostly my engineer—to review those plans.”

Bierlair explained that anytime land is disturbed for development, soil is compacted and this increases runoff. He said soil is the No. 1 pollutant in Ohio’s water and may interfere with the purpose of the floodplain to hold water in areas like Rootstown.

Engineering plans and storm-water calculations will need to be approved by Bierlair’s office before the company can begin its project.

“In 2003, Portage County became mandated under the Federal Clean Water Act, to have rules in place to reduce those problems,” Bierlair said.

According to Bierlair, Portage County’s requirements go “above and beyond” what is required by the state, and if enough of an area is impervious, or water-resistant, like concrete, that location is held to a higher standard.

“Our rules [for redevelopment, also,] are written to encourage a reduction in impervious area, so that we can increase the amount of green space on any development,” Bierlair said.

Shari Hayes, of Rootstown, lives directly beside the lot where Speedway may be expanding. She is concerned that the large trucks that will be brought onto the road to use the new diesel pumps, if the plan is approved, will hold up traffic and bring more noise and bright lights through out the night.

She said living beside I-76 and State Route 44 causes noise and pollution already, and she believes adding gas pumps and room for semis will exacerbate those problems.

“We have a white table on our back porch,” said Hayes, “and we can wipe it off in the morning, and by dinnertime, there will be black specks all over it now from the expressway and the traffic that goes up and down the road. So that’s only going to amplify … if there’s going to be semis going in right next to my house.”

The location on Lynn Road is purposed for residential and office use, and the Portage Country Regional Planning Commission has recommended not to rezone the area to allow highway commercial use, in part from concern for lacking compatibility with the residential area.