As Intel expands into central Ohio, communities must increase housing, planners say

To arrange for Intel’s deliberate development of two modern chip factories in Licking County, central Ohio communities should enhance and diversify their housing inventory, simplify zoning laws and put money into long-term planning that may assist the projected inhabitants development as new jobs are created, regional planners mentioned throughout a June 3 Ohio State College panel dialogue.

The digital occasion was the primary in “The Impacts of Intel” dialogue collection hosted this summer time by Ohio State’s Middle for City and Regional Evaluation (CURA).

“It is a huge deal for Ohio,” Harvey Miller, the middle’s director, mentioned of the Intel growth. “We’re going to speak to native consultants, each at Ohio State and in the neighborhood, and discuss what they suppose is coming and the way we must always put together.”

Panelists included Erin Prosser, metropolis of Columbus assistant director of Housing Methods; Robert Vogt, actual property market analyst, Vogt Strategic Insights; and Jennifer Noll, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Fee’s (MORPC) affiliate director of Neighborhood Improvement.

Noll mentioned statistics compiled by MORPC point out that central Ohio’s present inhabitants of two.4 million residents is on monitor to develop to three million residents by 2050, which the Intel growth is more likely to expedite.

Intel’s growth into Ohio “proves to us that we are able to’t take our foot off the accelerator in the case of getting ready for development,” Noll mentioned. “I feel that’s very true in the case of housing.”  

Over the previous decade, central Ohio has skilled a housing scarcity stemming from development not maintaining tempo with the area’s development, panelists mentioned.

One answer is to modernize zoning laws in Columbus and surrounding communities, Noll mentioned. MORPC’s Central Ohio Regional Housing Technique, which the group up to date in 2021, encourages municipalities to undertake a “inexperienced tape growth technique.”

“The concept right here is that it may possibly take a while to get a housing proposal by the event assessment course of earlier than (builders) want to interrupt floor, not to mention the time it takes to really construct,” she mentioned. “There may be issues that communities can do to make that course of extra environment friendly, and any form of time that we are able to save within the course of, you’ll be able to probably save (builders) some cash on the again finish, as properly.”

Compared to the Silicon Valley expertise hub in San Francisco’s Bay Space, which additionally faces housing shortages, central Ohio’s geography is best located to accommodate a inhabitants increase, Vogt mentioned.

“One of many limitations that Silicon Valley has is, basically, it’s a ‘silicon valley’ – it’s very restricted geographically. The one factor we’ve right here in Ohio is a whole lot of land, and we’ve the power to unfold ourselves out a bit,” he mentioned. “I feel the problem could also be, how will we get that land zoned for the right housing, how will we get the infrastructure in place to serve it, how will we make utilities accessible?”

Central Ohio’s pure sources are additionally advantages that the area presents, Vogt mentioned.

“One of many different benefits that we’ve is an efficient water provide to have the ability to serve many of those new housing items,” he mentioned. “There’s a whole lot of components to our favor that I feel won’t have an effect on us as broadly because it has in a few of these different high-end markets.”

Offering ample housing as Ohio’s inhabitants and labor power proceed to develop would require municipalities to work with builders to offer a spread of choices for residents at completely different revenue ranges, Prosser mentioned.

“We do have inexpensive housing as you get additional out from the center-city,” she mentioned. “However then you might be buying and selling that affect on to the household, the place you will have a transportation value burden changing that housing value burden, however then you definately even have the burden to the infrastructure of the roadway system.”

Communities should additionally incentivize the development of further housing items past the standard single-family house, Prosser mentioned.

 “I feel the place Columbus insurance policies have shifted in the previous couple of years is considering increase as an alternative of constructing out,” she mentioned. “How will we facilitate that elevated density inside our borders in order that we are able to assist extra households nearer to the place the job alternatives are?”

Upcoming occasions in “The Impacts of Intel” collection embrace:

July 15 – A Improvement Panel Dialogue

July 29 – A Transportation Panel Dialogue

Aug. 5 – An Power and Water Panel Dialogue

For registration and extra data, click on right here.