New Albany City Council officially considers Intel property annexation, rezoning

Gary Seman Jr., ThisWeek
·2 min read
New Albany City Council gave a first reading April 19 on annexation and the rezoning of 1,689 acres in Jersey Township – more than 900 of which is dedicated to Intel – from agricultural to technology manufacturing district. Council is expected to give second readings and likely vote to approve the rezoning and annexation May 3.
New Albany City Council gave a first reading April 19 on annexation and the rezoning of 1,689 acres in Jersey Township – more than 900 of which is dedicated to Intel – from agricultural to technology manufacturing district. Council is expected to give second readings and likely vote to approve the rezoning and annexation May 3.

In fewer than two weeks, New Albany City Council is expected to permanently lay the foundation for Intel to start construction on its $20 billion microchip-processing facility.

Council on April 19 gave a first reading to two pieces of legislation, which affect 1,689 acres in Jersey Township, more than 900 of which is dedicated to Intel.

Looking for more: Check out the Newark Advocate's coverage in Licking County.

The final votes, expected May 3, would change the zoning from agricultural to technology manufacturing district and officially annex that Licking County land into the city of New Albany.

The annexation component, which would be approved with an emergency legislation clause, would be effective immediately, but the rezoning would take 30 days, said Scott McAfee, the city's chief communications and marketing officer.

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McAfee said the emergency legislation is being proposed for two key reasons: City Council and Jersey Township trustees had reached an annexation agreement in January, therefore it is not a new issue. And road construction needs to start as soon as possible.

“So this isn’t the first time council has dealt with the annexation issue of this area,” he said.

Meanwhile, a rush isn't needed for the rezoning, so no emergency clause is necessary, he said.

More: New Albany website addresses emerging details about Intel, with FAQs, videos, other info

“This is the first time this has come up for council action,” McAfee said, “and there’s nothing imminent in terms of beginning to proceed with construction.”

As for the nearly 1,500 acres remaining from the original annexation agreement, no proposal has been sent to City Council yet, McAfee said.

“Annexation starts with the property owner, and ultimately, the property owner determines the amount of property that ultimately gets annexed,” he said.

gseman@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekGary

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: New Albany council starts process on Intel site annexation, rezoning