New Albany’s Silicon Heartland: How it changed in 2023 and what’s next
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NEW ALBANY, Ohio (WCMH) — The Silicon Heartland, home to Intel’s Ohio One project, is slated to be finished in 2027.
New Albany has seen rapid development since Intel announced in January 2022 that it had selected the Licking County portion of the New Albany International Business Park to be the location for a chip manufacturing project worth billions. Since then, more businesses have come to town.
Here is how 2023 unfolded for the area.
Tech companies buy up land around Intel plant
In February, NBC4 reported that at least two companies had paid tens of millions for future projects in New Albany, according to Licking County auditor’s records. The companies were Amazon Data Services and DBT Data New Albany.
Amazon Data Services bought three connected plots, which added up to nearly 400 acres of land, along Beech Road touching the Franklin County border in mid-January. The total of the purchases came out to more than $116 million.
Between Jan. 17 and 20, DBT Data New Albany purchased 16 bordering parcels that totaled over 82 acres with a cost of more than $23 million. DBT-Data is a Washington, D.C.-based developer that in August 2022 had previously bought 93 acres just to the east of the parcels it acquired in January. At the time, DBT-Data said it planned to build 1 million square feet worth of data centers.
“Through strategic planning, public and private collaboration, and investment in infrastructure, the New Albany International Business Park has grown to over 21,000 jobs with many more to come,” said Tom Rubey, director of development at The New Albany Company.
Bechtel moves onto site of Ohio One project
In March, vertical progress on Ohio One had yet to begin. But at the end of the month, Bechtel — the general contractor for the construction project’s first phase — moved onto the site.
According to Intel spokesperson Linda Qian at the time, Bechtel began work on the project by building access roads and infrastructure, which included underground piping. Bechtel’s start on the Intel project marked a major step forward as the plan continued to develop in 2023.
Intel moves into next phase of construction
Intel broke ground on its Ohio One project in September 2022. After eight months of construction, the project began a new phase in May: concrete pouring.
At the time, the city and a spokesperson for Intel said that traffic would not be significantly changed due to this phase of construction.
“Intel is proud of the progress we’re making in Ohio and we’re excited to move into this next phase of construction,” the spokesperson wrote in an email at the time.
DeWine announces Amazon will invest $7.8 billion in central Ohio
Gov. Mike DeWine announced in June that Amazon Web Services will build out its data center presence in central Ohio with a multibillion dollar investment by the end of the decade. The estimated cost of Amazon’s expansion throughout the state was revealed to be $7.8 billion.
This news came months after NBC4 reported in February that land owned by Amazon in New Albany would likely be built into a data center. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment at the time about where the new investments will be established.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with the state of Ohio, and deliver new workforce development and educational programs that support the next generation of talent,” said AWS Economic Development Director Roger Wehner in a June email statement.
$90 million Ohio transportation project announced
In July, DeWine and the Ohio Department of Transportation announced a $90 million project to fund local and state transportation projects. DeWine said these infrastructure developments go hand in hand with the Intel project in New Albany.
“When we announced Intel, we committed to building infrastructure and to help the local community build infrastructure that would handle the extra traffic from Intel and also the other traffic that is going to come from other companies that are coming to this region as well,” DeWine said at the time.
DeWine said the state is listening to and working closely with the community on this plan. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said this development showed that the state is cooperating well with the Intel project and delivering the infrastructure that is needed from it.
“It proves to Intel and any business in the world that we are delivering on time. We’re delivering what we said we would deliver which is the infrastructure around this,” Husted said.
Senators Brown and Vance team up to speed up tech construction
A bipartisan effort in July from Ohio Sens. J.D Vance and Sherrod Brown saw the Republican and Democrat work together to accelerate semiconductor projects through legislation so that companies like Intel can get construction done sooner than later.
“We want to just keep any kind of bureaucratic obstacles out of the way,” Brown said. “We want to make sure that this construction happens as fast as possible for Intel and for the feeder companies in the supply chain.”
Vance called on President Joe Biden to move faster on projects in Ohio like the one in New Albany.
“This is not rocket science,” he said. “The money has been appropriated. The law has been passed. We really need the Biden administration to do its job and to get that money out the door.”
First tenant in New Albany Tech Park announced
In August, New Albany announced the first tenant that will be joining its New Albany Tech Park, a DSV warehouse. VanTrust Real Estate had an official groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the construction project in October.
VanTrust, which is leading the New Albany Tech Park, agreed to build a 1.2-million-square foot warehouse for DSV, according to the city’s website. DSV is a global supplier of transport and logistics based out of Denmark that provides and manages supply chain solutions.
“On our visits to New Albany, we were extremely impressed with the investments in infrastructure the city has made, and its support of the fast-growing semiconductor industry in the area,” DSV North America Solutions President Mike Marlow said.
Intel unveils K-12 education initiative
In September, Intel announced it would be partnering with Khanmigo on an education initiative. With funding from Intel, Khanmigo, an artificial intelligence offshoot of Khan Academy, was announced to be coming to several schools in central Ohio and across the state.
Intel committed $300,000 in funding for the pilot program’s first year, according to a spokesperson. That funding is expected to cover implementation, training, data, and other costs.
“Elevating STEAM education across Ohio sets the stage for success in school and 21st-century careers,” wrote Christy Pambianchi, Intel’s executive vice president and chief people officer. “Programs like our collaboration with Khan Academy are essential to the educational foundations that will enable the pipeline of future engineers and technicians who will help propel the semiconductor industry forward.”
Construction expands roads near Intel plant
Several road construction projects are in the works. In early December, Clover Valley Road, from Mink Street to Green Chapel Road, which is one of the roads closest to Intel’s $20 billion campus, reopened with an expanded third lane. Clover Valley Road north of Green Chapel Road will remain inaccessible until spring.
“This upgrade will improve traffic flow associated with Intel and other growth we are experiencing in the New Albany International Business Park,” New Albany Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Josh Poland said. “There are portions of Clover Valley Road that are new roads entirely, serving to enhance the connectivity within the region. The opening of this roadway creates a direct and improved route for construction traffic through this rapidly growing area.”
In addition to work on Clover Valley Road, ODOT crews began long-term construction on State Route 161 in July. An additional lane is being built in each direction, along with wider bridges, from its intersection with Interstate 270 to its intersection with U.S. 62. The new lanes are expected to be ready by November, with the entire project set to be finished in August 2025.
Thrive Cos. announces apartments near New Albany
Columbus approved a 408-unit apartment building near New Albany in mid-December. Thrive Companies, a Columbus-based developer, had its plans for a project to build Moore’s Edge apartment building approved by the Columbus Development Commission as well as the Rocky Fork-Blacklick Accord Implementation Panel.
Moore’s Edge will be built on 7745 Walton Parkway, which falls under the city of Columbus’ jurisdiction but is just a mile from central New Albany. The project marks a new phase for Thrive Cos., which has mainly focused on urban infill projects and brownfield redevelopment.
With the name of its new apartment building being named after Gordon Moore, co-founder and emeritus chairman of Intel, Thrive Cos. indicated its intentions of tying its apartment building project to the Ohio One project. Additionally, Thrive Cos. is in discussions with Intel about potentially adding a bus stop that could transport Moore’s Edge residents to and from the chip manufacturing plants that are currently under construction.
Additional updates
New Albany has made other significant changes to the area surrounding the Intel site. Poland listed the following changes to infrastructure in the area:
Ten miles of new roads
750,000 cubic yards of earth moved
Four miles of large-diameter water pipes installed
A lift station constructed capable of discharging 6 million gallons of sewer water every single day
15,000 feet of large-diameter sanitary sewer installed
“Next year, we will start the installation of about 3 miles of water transmission main, continue construction on a new water booster station and water storage tank, and start reconstructing approximately 1.5 miles of roadway in the business park near Intel,” Poland said.
Project timeline
Phase 1 of the Silicon Heartland project is expected to be completed in 2027. Phase 1a, which is focused on primary improvements, is scheduled to finish in mid-2025. Phase 1b, which is for secondary improvements, is set to be done in 2027. The website has no mention of plans for a Phase 2.
Intel’s Ohio One project is expected to take three to five years, meaning that Ohio One will not be online before 2025, at the earliest.
For the latest on Intel in Ohio, click here.
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