New Albany council is next stop for Intel

Annexation, rezoning in Jersey Twp. follows

A step taken by the New Albany Planning Commission on April 4 set into motion the process to annex and rezone the future Intel property into the city.

Now it’s City Council’s turn. The commission voted 4-0 to recommend that City Council approve the rezoning of 1,689 acres in Jersey Township – more than 900 of which is dedicated to Intel – from agricultural to technology manufacturing district. Commission member David Wallace was absent.

City Council has scheduled scheduled first readings of the annexation and rezoning ordinances for April 19, with second readings and likely approval set for May 3.

Both will be read twice, but the annexation ordinance will have an emergency clause, meaning if it is approved, it is effective immediately so that construction could begin right away, said Scott Mcafee, the city’s chief communications and marketing officer.

The rezoning would pave the way for Intel Corp., a California-based company, to begin building a $20 billion microchip processing facility.

“In a nutshell, the great thing about the TMD zoning for everyone involved is how it spells out things like setbacks, screening, mounding, architecture, parking and landscaping,” Mcafee said. “It incorporates all the best practices of other commercial types of zoning to keep everyone on the same page from the beginning in terms of expectations.”

Mcafee said the process is necessary for any commercial development to occur on the property, which is in the New Albany International Business Park – a development area that is zoned mostly for distribution, technology and warehouse uses.

“By doing this all at once, this provides clarity and consistency for staff and residents to know what’s going to occur because everything’s zoned the same,” said Stephen Mayer, planning manager for New Albany.

Mcafee said the planning commission does not consider annexation policy, which is the duty of council. Council also will have the final say on the rezoning, he said.

“The planning commission is a recommending body, but they are an important part of the process because they do a technical evaluation of the rezoning request,” Mcafee said. “Most everyone understands that this project is going to be very positive for the entire state of Ohio, from a jobs and education standpoint and for our country, given how crucial chips are to our military and the importance of improving the supply chain for so many products,” he said.

The initial proposal called for up to 3,190 acres in Jersey Township to be annexed to New Albany.

Thus far, no land has been annexed, which is done at the request of property owners and not the city, Mcafee said.

“The annexation is working its way through the process but could come to City Council in the near future,” he said.

“Initial site preparation work for tree clearing and demolition of structures by the property owner has begun,” he said. “Additional site work, such as grading, is anticipated to begin this summer, with construction beginning by the end of the year.” gseman@thisweeknews.com @Thisweekgary