Ohio residents and state senator offer thoughts on updates to Intel project
JOHNSTOWN, Ohio (WCMH) — Construction on Intel’s semiconductor plant was set to be completed in 2025, but the company said it won’t meet that opening date.
Intel said it is still committed to this project, but it could have an impact on central Ohio.
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The huge plant is being built on a site near Johnstown, Ohio. In the two years since Intel announced its plans for the plant, construction has been a constant for the plant and for Johnstown.
“As soon as they announced Intel it has really changed things really rapidly,” said Johnstown resident Todd Walker.
Houses have gone up, roads have been added, new people have come into Johnstown and even more people are on the way. Walker said Intel is the common denominator.
“It’s changed so rapidly. You used to know everybody in the town,” said Walker. “Now I don’t know half the people in this town anymore, it’s happened so quick.”
Reaction to Intel’s new, later opening date is mixed. Local coffee shop owner Zachary Leonard said since he opened a year ago, he has noticed an influx of people, for better or for worse.
“I’m excited, hesitant,” said Leonard. “I think it’s going to be a lot, but as a business owner, how can I say no to more potential customers, right?”
The push-back of Intel’s completion date may delay that influx of customers for local business owners like Leonard, but Walker, who was born and raised in Johnstown, said he was relieved when he heard. He said without adequate roads and enough houses Johnstown won’t be ready when the Intel employees come.
“I think pushing it back to ‘26 isn’t a bad thing. It gives things time to catch up,” said Walker. “It takes time.”
But he and Leonard both said they hope the semiconductor plant doesn’t change the fabric of the town because whether they like it or not, Intel is coming.
“We’ve been saying that we hope Johnstown keeps its small town feel, but I think that’s going to be really hard in the future. There’s going to be such an influx I think it’s going to be hard to keep this a small town,” said Leonard.
“I’m sure I’ll get pushed out too. We’ll see. My plan is to always have a place here in Johnstown who knows what this town is going to look like in another five years,” said Walker.
While locals expressed mixed feelings about the Ohio One project, State Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware) gave his two cents.
“I don’t think that [Ohioans] should be worried but I think we should be concerned about future growth and potentially delays in future plants that could come,” Brenner said.
The delay is disappointing, according to Brenner, but he said that they are still making good progress.
“I spoke with intel and they are still on their progress for as far as what they were hoping to get over the long run here within the next several years, but it is a little disappointing that they’ve slowed it down a bit,” Brenner said.
Brenner warned that Intel may not be the only project to be delayed in Ohio.
“It’s not just the Intel plant, but it is all the additional plants, supply chains that are coming on shore that could be delayed,” Brenner said.
A spokesperson with Intel said the pace of construction at the plant has not slowed down since groundbreaking in 2022, and the company is still very committed to this project.
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