As expected, Hermitage commissioners Wednesday approved adding 50 acres along Broadway Avenue to a virtually tax-free Keystone Opportunity Zone.

But commissioners also took out 9.4 acres that is not suitable for building.

The Moroco Family Partnership asked commissioners to add 25 acres each of two parcels on the south side of Broadway to the KOZ. Hermitage School Board members agreed to the request Tuesday. Mercer County commissioners still have to act, and the state will have the ultimate decision.

Officials hope the abatement of many local, county and state taxes will attract development to the land.

If approved, the site will be in the zone from Jan. 1, 2004, through Dec. 31, 2010.

Because a KOZ is limited in the amount of acres it can contain, officials are encouraged to remove parcels that cannot be developed.

Hermitage is removing a strip of property off Ohio Street that runs parallel to State Line Road because it is under high-tension electric power lines and cannot be built on, said City Manager Gary P. Hinkson.

The land is part of 84 acres in the city that Farrell owns, and Farrell council has to agree with the move.

Farrell City Manager LaVon Saternow said some council members are aware of the proposal, and it could be discussed as early as Monday. She said she doesn't believe council members would balk at the plan, unless they think it will hurt the marketing of the property.

"It shouldn't affect anyone who wants to develop the property as far as the taxes are concerned," she said.