The New Albany Company seeks annexation of 286 acres from Monroe Township into Johnstown
JOHNSTOWN − The New Albany Co., which has developed thousands of Licking County acres annexed into the city of New Albany, now plans to develop a 286-acre Monroe Township site soon to be annexed into Johnstown.
The property lies immediately north of the Intel Corp. site, where construction on a $20 billion computer chip manufacturing facility continues, with production slated to begin in 2025. It is the largest commercial development in Ohio history.
The area requested for annexation includes land north of Green Chapel Road, stretching from Clover Valley Road to Mink Street, and south of Duncan Plains Road. The annexation will bring Johnstown south to the New Albany city limits on Green Chapel Road.
More: Amazon to spend $7.8B to expand data operations in central Ohio
Tom Rubey, director of development for The New Albany Co., released a statement on the company's plans:
"The request to annex this acreage into Johnstown is to support future development that positions Johnstown to attract quality growth that will generate revenue for both the school district and community," Rubey said. "Should the annexation into Johnstown be approved, we will focus on creating a mixed-use development plan for the property which is located at the gateway to Intel."
New Albany annexations of Jersey Township land have accelerated since the Jan. 21, 2022, Intel announcement for the Licking County development. Until now, the annexations have not crossed into Monroe Township.
Monroe Township trustee Troy Hendren said annexation of township land was probably inevitable for property owners to get access to utilities.
"That is the landowners' choice to do that," Hendren said. "We have no control or say on that. In our comprehensive plan, we did plan a lot of commercial area there. The city will most likely continue that.
"It does make us feel better it will be annexed into the city of Johnstown and not the city of New Albany. It will still be in the township."
The property owners requesting the annexation include Johnstown Land Co., a New Albany Co. affiliate owning 98 acres on Green Chapel Road. The other landowners are Thomas E. II and Dawn C. Dague, 112 acres, and James Heimerl, 75 acres.
More: It's official: Microsoft pays $57 million for 183 acres in western Licking County
Johnstown Mayor Donnie Barnard said the annexation will be a positive development for the city and eliminate the uncertainty for property owners between the two municipalities.
“It’s a good thing for the city of Johnstown," Barnard said. "We’re sad for the people and the loss of farmland there, but the owners sold the property. The company that bought the land has a history of doing development right — beautiful structures, landscaped correctly."
The mayor said the city has no plans for the property but does have some hopes for its development.
“We hope we will get some suppliers of Intel or other manufacturing companies that want to be near there," Barnard said.
West Licking Properties LLC, another New Albany Co. affiliate, recently purchased land in the city of Johnstown, immediately north of the township land to be annexed. West Licking Properties bought five connected parcels totaling 105 acres on the north and south side of Duncan Plains Road, east of U.S. 62.
Barnard said the 50.9 acres that West Licking Properties purchased south of Duncan Plains Road lies in a Planned Unit Development zoning district the city can control.
740-973-4539
Twitter: @kmallett1958
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: New Albany Company seeks 286-acre annexation into city of Johnstown
