Annexation

“Close to half of the township will be gone with this transaction,” Jersey Township Trustee Dan Wetzel said. “Jersey Township will never be the same after this, that’s for sure.”

The annexation would generally be bordered by Green Chapel Road to the north, Mink Street to the east, Jug Street Road to the south and the county line to the west. The annexation would about double the land New Albany had previously annexed, with almost everything west of Mink Street part of New Albany.

Although the township’s area has been shrinking on the maps, it remains intact even in areas New Albany has annexed, Wetzel said, until New Albany conforms the boundaries. The Type 1 annexation keeps the city from conforming boundaries.

“It’s still Jersey Township,” Wetzel said. “The township still exists underneath. We have road maintenance agreements for who takes care of the roads. We plow some roads.”

The township trustees approved an annexation agreement with the city of New Albany, although the trustees and many township residents are not happy about the possible changes.

“We have to negotiate with New Albany,” Wetzel said. “We don’t have a whole lot of control over it. It gives the township a little bit of say. In the past, they’ve abated the township taxes up to 100% and in this annexation agreement we asked for 50%, and they were able to do that.”

Township Trustee Jeff Fry said New Albany officials would not say what development may be coming to the area, but whatever the development, he will not consider it progress. He said signing the agreement was upsetting, but he had little choice but to do so.

“You either work with them or they run over you,” Fry said. “I’m not in favor of it. I hate it, but I can’t stop it. They can go around us, and we get nothing. We get our tax money still, even though they take (the land).”

Property owners’ decision: Sell or stay

Jersey Township residents who avoided previous annexations and developments are debating whether they should sell to New Albany Company

“Some are, some not,” Fry said. “A smart person would sell it. I encourage people to sell while they can because there’s no stopping the freight train. They stay and they can just look at the buildings.”

Wetzel added, “New Albany Company always offers pretty good money and most people take the money and sell. But, there are numerous residents in the township who have no intention of ever selling.”

Some residents, like Jack Williams, who moved into his house on Miller Street eight years ago with his family, have seriously considered selling to the New Albany Company. Williams said he thought his Miller Street home would be the last home he would ever buy, but it’s likely he will be moving again.

Williams said Jersey Township still holds onto its rural culture while development creeps further into the township

“I think it’s more, not so much the culture as it is the actual atmosphere, because of the fact that they’re building so many new and innovative things around here,” Williams said. “It sort of impacts how you feel about where you live, not the culture.”

Wetzel said most residents within the annexation boundaries will be offered a good deal to sell their property, but not the 34 properties in the Bermuda Drive and Aruba Avenue subdivision, immediately north of New Albany’s latest expansions.

“There’s a lot of high-end homes and it doesn’t make sense for New Albany to buy them out,” Wetzel said. “They have no intention of buying them out because it’s too expensive.”

Licking County Recorder Bryan Long had records of seven deeds changing hands this year on Miller Road, Green Chapel Road, Harmony Church Road and Mink Street to New Albany Comapny’s MCVGCM Holdings. Five of the properties, for 22.4 acres, came from residents, while two deeds covering 83.1 acres, moved from MBJ Holdings to MCVGCM Holdings.

Changes will be ‘transformational’

Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb, who said he can’t discuss any potential development because of a nondisclosure agreement, did say he expects the annexation requests to come soon.

“We anticipate this month one, possibly two, annexation requests from Jersey Township into the city of New Albany,” Bubb said. “I’m very optimistic (it will happen). They wouldn’t be to this stage of land acquisition if they weren’t serious.”

The county commissioners were part of the discussions with New Albany and Jersey Township in late December and early January, Bubb said.

“This is something that was in the works and then sort of became public,” Bubb said. “If what I read is even partly true, it could be characterized as transformational for Licking County, central Ohio and the region.

“Transformational. I don’t think that is overstating the case. I don’t use that word in a flip way. There are huge, huge implications from an economic development standpoint.”

In addition to the New Albany developments, solar fields are planned for the Hartford area north of Johnstown and Harrison Township in southwestern Licking County.

“In general terms, whether it’s Etna, Pataskala, New Albany or Johnstown, western Licking County is going to change,” Bubb said. “It’s never going to be Mayberry USA and rural America. All these projects have represented major investment and job creation.”

Wetzel said the annexation to Mink Road will not necessarily be the end of New Albany’s progression into Licking County. He said at least another 500acre annexation is planned, but not being done now.

“They’re not done yet by any means,” Wetzel said. “We’ve been through this so many times, I think most of the people realize the trustees can’t stop it. We tried in 1999 or 2000 and took it to the (Ohio) Supreme Court.”

Columbus Dispatch reporter Aubrey Wright contributed to this report kmallett@newarkadvocate.com 740-973-4539

Twitter: @kmallett1958