Jersey Township plan making it easier to get a drink near Intel heads back to voters

Maria DeVito, Newark Advocate
·3 min read

A Licking County township is again trying to make it easier for restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues to obtain liquor licenses near Intel's $28 billion semiconductor factory — scaling back a proposal that voters rejected in March.

Jersey Township Trustees created on Monday a revitalization district, which is a tool under Ohio law that promotes the investment and development of new restaurants and other social and entertainment establishments within a defined area.

Within the district, Ohio liquor control may issue up to 15 new liquor licenses without the businesses going to the ballot individually, but first township voters must approve the local liquor option in the Nov. 5 general election.

This is Jersey Township's second attempt at a revitalization district. Trustees approved a district in December, but voters rejected the local liquor option by seven votes in March 19's primary election. The trustees then repealed the district in the spring.

The township significantly reduced the district from 2,400 acres from the March 19 primary version to 1,925 acres now by removing Morse and Hazelton-Etna roads south of Worthington Road, Administrator Rob Platte said.

"The trustees listened to the residents and made the requested changes, and we're submitting to the voters again," Platte said after the meeting.

Now the district includes properties on the township's main roadways in the northeast corner of the township:

The areas in yellow show the revitalization district approved by the Jersey Township Trustees on July 1. Revitalization districts area a way to remove barriers for businesses that want liquor licenses.
The areas in yellow show the revitalization district approved by the Jersey Township Trustees on July 1. Revitalization districts area a way to remove barriers for businesses that want liquor licenses.

  • 1,000 feet along the north side of Worthington Road, from Harrison Road to Ohio 310 (Hazelton-Etna Road).

  • 500 feet along the south side of Worthington Road, from Harrison Road to a point about 1,330 feet west of Ohio 310.

  • 1,600 feet along the east side of Mink Road, from Worthington Road to Green Chapel Road.

  • 1,000 feet along the south side of Green Chapel Road from Mink Road to Duncan Plains Road.

  • 1,000 feet along the south side of Duncan Plains Road from Green Chapel Road to Ohio 310.

  • 1,000 feet along the west side of the Jersey Township and the St Albans Township boundary, from Worthington Road to the Jersey Township and Monroe Township boundary.

Platte said if a restaurant on Morse or Hazelton-Etna roads wants a liquor permit, it can individually go to the ballot like normal. And if all 15 permits are eventually issued within the district and another business would like one, it too could go on the ballot for voter approval.

Platte said previously that the revitalization district is a way to make major corridors attractive to restaurants, hotels, retail stores and similar development types so properties stay in Jersey Township and don't annex into a neighboring municipality.

It's a way for Jersey Township to control future development after two decades of watching thousands of acres annex into New Albany for Facebook, Amazon, Google, Intel and other businesses.

Even with the revitalization district in place, properties still must be properly zoned for a restaurant, hotel or other business to develop, as The Advocate previously reported.

As previously reported, businesses wanting one of the liquor permits must apply through the Ohio Department of Commerce and pay the liquor permit fee to get one if voters approve the liquor option. Businesses will also pay a renewal fee just like any other business. The township will not issue the permit nor does it receive any kind of fee.

mdevito@gannett.com

740-607-2175

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Jersey Twp. trying again to make it easier to get a drink near Intel