Trumbull County holds hearing on vacating Niles‑Warren River Road to accommodate Kimberly‑Clark campus

Trumbull County commissioners on Jan. 14 heard presentations supporting a proposal to vacate the roughly one‑mile segment of Niles‑Warren River Road (also called Pine Avenue) between Burton Street and DeForest Road to allow Kimberly‑Clark to integrate a manufacturing campus and a planned regional distribution center.

The matter drew economic‑development backers and technical testimony. David DeCristofaro, Trumbull County engineer, said the hearing was held under Ohio Revised Code §5553.04 and summarized outreach and reports on file, including communications from the county auditor, engineer, sanitation engineer and planning commission. DeCristofaro recommended approval “based on the compelling economic benefits, the operational necessities, the positive traffic impact analysis, and the significant infrastructure improvements that are planned.”

Why it matters: presenters said vacating the road would let Kimberly‑Clark unify two adjacent parcels—simplifying air permitting and enabling controlled access for separate employee and truck gates—while state and local investments would improve surrounding roads. Anthony Trevena of the Western Reserve Port Authority described long‑term site remediation and a joint economic‑development district that made the project possible; he said Kimberly‑Clark’s presence signals large‑scale regional investment. “Kimberly Clark’s investment of approximately $800,000,000 and the creation of 500 permanent jobs is just phase 1,” Trevena said.

Company rationale and timeline: Branch, Kimberly‑Clark’s senior director of governmental relations, said the Phase 1 manufacturing building exceeds 1,000,000 square feet and is nearing enclosure, with a staged employment ramp through 2029–2030. Branch told the commission that vacating the road is central to the company’s air‑permitting plan with the Ohio EPA and to safe, efficient separation of truck and employee flows: “We intend for that private use of the segment of the road to ensure that we've got enhanced traffic and pedestrian safety, in and out of the plant and RDC site.” Branch also noted Kimberly‑Clark’s permit timing goals tied to the requested effective date.

Traffic and mitigation: Mannik & Smith traffic engineer Nancy Lyons Dadler presented the consultant’s methodology and two build scenarios (a 2026 construction/ramp‑up phase and a 2029 final condition with the connector road). The analysis used field counts, trip‑generation data provided by Kimberly‑Clark and ODOT’s travel‑demand model. She reported that all but one intersection would meet ODOT performance standards in the interim phase and that the SR‑169/Burton intersection may require temporary left‑turn lanes or monitoring. “When you get to build phase 2 in the final condition, the traffic operations meet the standards,” Lyons said.

Funding and construction phasing: DeCristofaro said the state awarded just over $17 million from programs including the All Ohio Futures Fund to construct an East‑West connector (about 2.5 miles plus roughly 1 mile of additional connections) and that work would be phased, with bridge permitting for later phases. The engineer described lane, shoulder and curb standards for the connector road and said public notification and staged closures would precede any permanent change.

Public testimony and local support: City and township officials and private‑sector speakers testified in support. Eddie Colbert, director of public and safety services for the City of Warren, said he spoke on behalf of Mayor Frankin and that the city “fully, wholeheartedly support[s] the vacationing of Pine Avenue between DeForest and Burton Street.” Shay McMillan, a local commercial real‑estate broker and former economic‑development official, and Holland Township administrator James Pannell also voiced support, citing construction activity, local contracting and future site opportunities.

Board action and next steps: Commissioners did not take final action to vacate the road at the hearing. A commissioner moved to take the testimony and statements under advisement; the motion was seconded and recorded as approved with commissioners Malloy, Hernandez and Bernard voting yes. The board then adjourned. DeCristofaro told the commission that, if approved in a later action, the target effective date would be March 27, with Kimberly‑Clark seeking March 31 for permit timing and staff preparing final public‑notification plans.

What remains unresolved: The hearing produced recommendations and technical findings but no final vacation decision. The record includes study materials and written comments from county offices; any formal vacation ordinance or resolution would have to appear on a subsequent agenda and be recorded in the board’s formal actions.

Sources: presentations and sworn testimony at the Trumbull County Board of Commissioners public hearing on Jan. 14, 2026 (county engineer, Western Reserve Port Authority, Lake to River, Youngstown‑Warren Regional Chamber, Kimberly‑Clark, Mannik & Smith traffic consultants) and public commenters.