County commissioner says port authority activity could bring thousands of jobs; Midway Mall and EV supplier growth noted

Lorain County Commissioner David Moore briefed Elyria City Council on April 7 about port authority activity, recent development negotiations and county efforts to support housing and infrastructure tied to expected job growth.

Moore said the port authority is pursuing deals related to the Midway Mall that he said could bring "about 5 to 600 jobs to Elyria" and that additional vendor and supplier activity tied to an electric-vehicle plant could support another approximately 2,000 jobs. He said the county is also working on a mega site in New Russia Township that he estimated could generate roughly 3,000–5,000 jobs and that the county is competing to attract large semiconductor and related manufacturing operations.

Moore emphasized the need for more housing and sewer infrastructure to support growth and said the county is pursuing a large sewer project ("61 19" referenced) and funds from a future fund in Columbus. He urged Elyria to partner with the county financially and operationally to meet housing demand and cited previous county investments he said have positioned the region to compete for large projects.

Moore told council the port authority and county leaders have been working with Elyria and neighboring municipalities on partnerships and that bond activity and other financing tools have supported recent economic-development deals. He encouraged continued cooperation on wastewater and housing projects to accommodate anticipated employment growth.

Council thanked Moore for the update and for county partnerships on local development initiatives.