Approximately 100 people came to the Warren County Commissioners Thursday to dispute a proposed truck stop that is planning to come to the area.

Pilot Flying J, based in Tennessee, plans to build a multi-million dollar truck stop at the intersection of Interstate 71 and Ohio 123 . A mostly hostile crowd, including the commissioners themselves, said they were not happy about the truck stop coming to the area. But at the same time, the commissioners said there was little they could do to stop it.

“I personally and professionally don’t want there to be another truck stop in Warren County at one of our exit ramps,” said Commissioner Pat South. “No insult is intended to the Flying J, but we can’t stop a private property owner from selling their property to a company where the zoning is already in place…Now we have to try and make the hand we have as complimentary and beneficial as we can moving forward in the future.”

County commissioners did not approve the site plan on Thursday night but conceded they would most likely have to as long as the company met all zoning requirements.

The commissioners requested the company conduct a noise study to determine if more landscaping would be needed around the area. Another hearing will be held after the first of the year, once the study is complete.

The center planned outside Lebanon is expected to have a variety of facilities for truck drivers, including a deli, a Wendy’s with a drive-thru and multiple fuel pumps on land around an existing Country Kitchen restaurant.

The city of Lebanon and Turtlecreek Twp. are forming a joint economic development district as part of a cooperative plan to extend sewer service to land on all four corners of the interchange and hopefully attract other businesses to the interchange.

“It’s the quandary we’re left with in a free market, capitalist society,” said Commissioner Dave Young. “It’s a legitimate business. No one is saying anything is wrong with the business. In a free market, the government doesn’t stand in the way of that. All we can do is try to make it the nicest one that has the least impact on property around it.”

Several residents disputed how nice the business could really be.

“This project doesn’t do anything for Turtlecreek Twp. residents, and it doesn’t do anything for kids in Lebanon High School,” said resident Terri Banker. “We ask our kids to perform well in school, get a four-year education and after years of education all we have provided them with is the job of cashier. There was a hope of high-tech, bio-tech – some sort of high-income jobs; if we keep going down this road, we’re jeopardizing that. If you put that truck-stop in at 123, you can forget any high-quality development.”