LICKING COUNTY, Ohio — Every home on Miller Road has been bought out for the Intel chip facility in Licking County, meaning neighborhoods will vanish in the name of jobs.
But as these families move away, thousands more will be moving in. So is New Albany ready for that influx of people?
“Roads, water, sewer,” said Yas Motoyama, professor of city planning, Ohio State University.
“Whether it’s housing, transit, roads, greenways, that’s what the next conversation is,” said William Murdock, Executive Director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission.
Roadways will be a hot topic.
“But when you think about people and their jobs and how people are going to get to and from the facility, that’s really where the focus is going to be. Is making sure those local roads are ready to handle it,” said Murdock.
The Ohio Department of Transportation already commented on its plans on Friday.
“With [the] Intel project, we will be adding lanes to State Route 161 and we will be improving interchanges adjacent to the site,” said Jack Marchbanks, ODOT Director.
Motoyama expects the biggest issue will be housing.
“It’s not just any housing, but relatively good housing for highly skilled labor,” he said.
The governor estimates this will bring 20,000 jobs to the area. If you break this down, the factory itself is expected to hire 3,000 Intel workers. It's projected 7,000 construction employees will also be needed.