On Thursday, more than one hundred Warren County, Ohio residents packed the Warren County Commissioner’s office to protest a proposed Pilot Flying J truck stop from coming into their town.
According to the Dayton Daily News, Pilot Flying J is planning to build a multi-million dollar complex at the intersection of Ohio 123 and I-71.
The Dayton Daily News reported the crowd was hostile, including the county commissioners themselves, who told the audience that they were not pleased with the truck stop coming to their area.
“I personally and professionally don’t want there to be another truck stop in Warren County at one of our exit ramps,” said Commissioner Pat South. “No insult is intended to the Flying J, but we can’t stop a private property owner from selling their property to a company where the zoning is already in place…Now we have to try and make the hand we have as complimentary and beneficial as we can moving forward in the future.”
Though the commissioners are unhappy with the proposed truck stop, there is very little they can do to prevent Pilot Flying J from moving into their area as long as Pilot Flying J meets all of the zoning requirements.
Residents aired their greivences about the proposed truck stops.
“This project doesn’t do anything for Turtlecreek Twp. residents, and it doesn’t do anything for kids in Lebanon High School,” said resident Terri Banker. “We ask our kids to perform well in school, get a four-year education and after years of education all we have provided them with is the job of cashier. There was a hope of high-tech, bio-tech – some sort of high-income jobs; if we keep going down this road, we’re jeopardizing that. If you put that truck-stop in at 123, you can forget any high-quality development.”
The county commissioners will meet again at the beginning for a final vote.