Licking County jurisdictions praised for collaboration in preparation for Intel
COLUMBUS -- Licking County is in the spotlight like never before. All over central Ohio, and well beyond, people wonder how Licking County will respond to the Intel Corporation plans for the largest commercial development in Ohio history.
Columbus is the state capital, most populous city in Ohio and the center of attention for business, sports, politics and entertainment, but even they are watching Licking County's evolution.
The Columbus Metropolitan Club invited Licking County leaders and experts to a Wednesday luncheon to discuss the county's preparation for Intel, which plans to begin production at two factories in 2025. The event was sold out, showing the thirst for information on the Intel project and the county's response to it.
"We've been planning for this one for a long time" said Doug Buchanan, the club's vice president of programming. "Obviously, there's a lot of interest in that topic. We often focus on Columbus and downtown, but central Ohio is always on our radar."
The luncheon attracted 220 in-person attendees and 256 watching live online. The club, organized in 1976, has weekly luncheons. On May 17, it will host "regional mayors prepare for Intel," with the mayors of Johnstown, New Albany and Gahanna invited.
Intel plans a $20 billion computer chip manufacturing operation, scheduled to begin production in 2025. And, the development could expand to $100 billion. Intel plans to hire at least 3,000 to work at its fabs, but 7,000 construction workers will be needed. and the development could create 10,000 indirect jobs.
The panelists were: Jennifer Roberts, Evans Foundation executive director; Jamie Greene, Planning NEXT principal; Rick Platt, president and CEO of the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority, and Ben Lanka, business editor at the Columbus Dispatch, editor of the Newark Advocate and host of the event.
The Evans Foundation responded to the Intel development by organizing a massive 15-jurisdiction, public-private planning effort called Framework and hiring Planning NEXT, a planning firm based in central Ohio, to produce a collaborative vision, addressing economics, land use, character of place, transportation and other topics.
Roberts said the foundation got involved after leaders of some of those jurisdictions approached the foundation about playing a role in the planning process. On April 28, the foundation proposed a public-private partnership to the jurisdictions.
"From about July of last year we've been on a race to try get ourselves ahead of the planning effort," Roberts said. "Many people tell us we should have been doing this a long time ago, but the reality is in Licking County, the way our government is structured, in the autonomous roles of each of the township trustees, village administrators and city mayors, this probably wouldn't have happened without this."
The jurisdictions involved in the planning process comprise 250 square miles in a county of almost 700 square miles county, or the size of three cities of Columbus. The jurisdictions include about 70% of the Licking County population.
"Imagine someone being willing to step up and claim leadership of 15 different jurisdictions," Greene said. "That is phenomenal."
Greene said the cities, villages and townships have varied interests, but have worked together admirably toward a common goal. The Framework report is scheduled for release in June or July.
"The spirit in that room has been really remarkable," Greene said. "They really seem to be in the right spirit and trusting the process. That's all we ask them to do right now."
Roberts responded to a question about considering tourism to sites such as the Octagon Earthworks in Newark and the Great Circle in Newark and Heath. She said Framework feedback has not been limited to land use and planning.
“Our net has been cast really broad with Framework, trying to reach out to organizations that care about conservation, tourism, schools, land preservation, entertainment," Roberts said. "We have really tried to leave no stone unturned.”
Platt said that while large commercial developments can cause growing pains, it's preferable to the alternative.
"I guess I have a different view of growth than maybe some people do," Platt said. "I grew up in a steel town that didn't make steel anymore. So, I've seen the other side of the coin. I'll take this side of the coin every time.
"Housing is a problem, but the alternative is having empty, vacant houses galore that you can't fill. So, let's work together. Let's see if the market is going to drive our ability to answer some of these questions. Where we see voids, let's go about tackling them."
Greene said Framework has interviewed about 3,000 people and 85 entities. He said some who probably did not support a full range of housing options, now see that is a necessity. He said the goal is to create something Licking Countians can be proud of, and maybe something unique, surrounding the Intel development.
"Can you raise up the bar of what you're doing or when you leave the property of Intel, does it look like Rome-Hilliard Road or some other lovely place in town," Greene said. "We've done a terrific job in the last 60 years of making really homogenous, unattractive places that no one has an ounce of devotion or passion to."
Platt said although everybody has now discovered Licking County, it’s not been just a recent success in attracting manufacturing to the area. He said the Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center campus, which the Port Authority oversees, includes companies working on a guidance system for missiles, baby formula and plant-based seafood.
The county has added 30,000 jobs since 2010. In December, there were 88,200 Licking Countians employed out of a workforce of 91,600. The unemployment rate was 3.8%.
"There was a lot happening before," Platt said. "There were more than 10,000 people working in New Albany’s International Business Park, There’s 11,000 in Etna. There’s 8,500 in central Licking County’s manufacturing corridor. There’s been a lot of growth happening.
“Intel got everybody’s attention and the stuff that happened before maybe didn’t. We’ve done this before. We really have. It's that diversity of the Licking County manufacturing sector in our economy that really is the secret sauce of why Licking County has done so well economically for some time."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking County jurisdictions praised for work in preparation of Intel
