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Opponents to rezoning for coke plant mobilizing
A group of Monroe residents whose properties are adjacent to the 157 acres that the city of Middletown is seeking to rezone from low-density residential to industrial use are stepping up their awareness efforts.
The residents have established a Web site, called stayinsidethefence.com as a way to voice their objections to the rezoning decision that was approved by the Middletown Planning Commission and is expected to be confirmed Tuesday, May 6 by Middletown City Council by an emergency ordinance.
Tuesday’s council meeting is expected to be packed with opponents from Monroe but also by the city’s business and labor community that are supporting the rezoning as it will pave the way for a $340M state of the art heat recovery cokemaking and electric generation plant that SunCoke Energy wants to build and operate. Neighboring AK Steel Corp. has already signed a 20-year agreement with Knoxville-based SunCoke Energy to be the exclusive customer for the projected 550,000 tons of coke and 50 megawatts of electricity the plant is expected to produce each year.
While the city’s business and labor community is rallying support for the rezoning, the Monroe residents are pullling no punches by putting a human face on the issue.
On their Web site, www.stayinsidethefence.com, they did a short video of how the rezoning decision might impact Garden Manor Retirement Village, which is inside the city of Middletown corporate limits as well as the residents they serve and their 400-plus employees.
The residents also have a prayer vigil scheduled for 8 p.m. tonight, May 5, at the Truth Tabernacle on Ohio 4.
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