The NewsResidents in the German community where Tesla has its only assembly plant in Europe overwhelming rejected the company’s plan to expand its facilities, dealing a blow to the U.S. automaker and local supporters.
Sixty-five percent of citizens in Grünheide who voted opted against Tesla’s proposal to clear 250 acres of forest near its plant to build a rail yard, warehouses and a day care center.
The vote was nonbinding, but local officials said they would honor it by heading back to the drawing board to try to find an acceptable solution.
“That is the big challenge for the community,” Arne Christiani, the mayor of Grünheide and a supporter of the expansion, told public broadcaster Inforadio rbb on Wednesday.
But the company defended its plans in local media, while acknowledging “that the citizens of Grünheide have concerns in connection with the planned expansion of the site.”
Persons:
Tesla, ” Arne Christiani, Inforadio rbb, “, ”
Organizations:
News Residents, U.S ., Inforadio
Locations:
Europe, Grünheide