A raucous meeting Thursday night resulted in Richfield Township trustees abandoning a plan that could have led to data centers in the township.

Nearly 200 people showed up to the meeting, unleashing an uproar against the zoning amendment to expand “advanced manufactured” areas in the northwest corner of the county.

“This is my house. This is my land,” Lisa Smithmyer, a Richfield Township resident, said during public comment. “You put a bullet on our head. You put a target on our head. These people want to sell out our community? Well we don’t.”

Ms. Smithmyer was just one of 27 individuals who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting. However, public comments were not limited to those who signed up to speak, as several jeers came from the crowd throughout the two-hour-long

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