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MIDDLETOWN — Back to the future is one way to look at tonight's Middletown Planning Commission meeting as it begins the concurrent process to amend the city's zoning code for a proposed $350 million cokemaking and electric generation plant.

Last month, the city, at the request of Knoxville, Tenn.-based SunCoke Energy Inc., opted to redo the request to rezone 157 acres between Ohio 4 and Yankee Road from low-density residential to industrial and amend certain sections of the zoning code related to setbacks in industrial and residential zones.

City and company officials said it was easier to address alleged deficiencies than go through litigation.

Following the public hearings and discussions today, July 9, the planning commission will decide whether to approve the request and send it to City Council for another public hearing and vote.

Garden Manor Extended Care Inc., adjacent to the proposed project, filed suit May 13 in Butler County Common Pleas Court, alleging the city failed to follow its own procedures in the rezoning process.

AK Steel Corp. and SunCoke entered into a 20-year agreement for AK to be the exclusive customer of the plant's coke and electricity.

"If the members of the planning commission studied the requests and if they have talked to Middletown people who have a stake in this, I just can't see how they could approve this," said Frank Schiavone, whose home at 6978 Hamilton-Middletown Road, also is adjacent to the site.

The commission meets at 6:30 p.m. today, July 9, at the city building, One Donham Plaza.