Western Licking County Accord Partnered to Pro-actively Plan for Foreseeable Growth
Source: MKSK
Key Facts
Location: Jersey Township, Johnstown, & New Albany, Ohio
Partners: Jersey Township, the Village (now City following the 2020 census) of Johnstown, & the City of New Albany, Ohio
Summary: The Western Licking County Accord (2018) is a non-binding planning agreement between 3 jurisdictions for if, how, and where development will occur in the neighboring communities to help them anticipate potential changes and encourage responsible growth.
About
With the announcement of Intel’s $20 billion computer chip facility, a site requiring 1,000+ acres, the City of New Albany annexed ~3,200 acres of Jersey Township in anticipation of further building phases and associated buildings. New Albany is a community with a culture of planning; it has had a master plan since the late 1990s, and its latest strategic plan was passed in March 2021. While New Albany did not specifically plan for Intel, the city and its neighboring communities had the foresight to strategize for responsible growth long before the major investment was even heard of (one reason Intel chose its location).
As Columbus and New Albany have continued to grow over time, this has put increased development pressure on more rural and small-town areas like Jersey Township and Johnstown, a particularly pressing issue for Central Ohio areas lacking existing plans or the capacity to facilitate robust planning processes. Accords provide a potential solution. While all 3 jurisdictions already had plans, the Western Licking County Accord allowed Jersey Township, the Village of Johnstown, and the City of New Albany to pool resources and expand each other’s capacity to plan bigger and collaboratively for inevitable growth.
Expected benefits of the Western Licking County Accord: 1) property owners know what is happening around them and can make informed decisions about their land; 2) Jersey Township has increased control regarding if, how, and where development happens despite its limited controls and resources for development review; and 3) Johnstown and New Albany know development outside their borders will have a consistent look and quality (The Western Licking County Accord 2018).
To build community consensus around the Accord and associated planning document, the municipalities hired MKSK and a consultant team to facilitate a planning process including 2 public meetings, a focus group, and a community survey; over 200 people participated. Through public engagement, the planning team found protecting the study area’s existing rural, small-town character was a top concern for residents; they wanted it to remain primarily residential and agricultural land. This feedback inspired the Accord’s mission statement for what it strives to do:
“The Western Licking County Accord provides a comprehensive, shared vision for Western Licking County that guides growth and development in a way that exemplifies and preserves the rural, small-town character of the area” (The Western Licking County Accord 2018).
The Accord also used community feedback and land use analyses to determine several implementation strategies for furthering its mission:
Improve communication between the jurisdictions
Build a land use agreement and plan for area amenities and infrastructure
Create design standards
Identify and map area-defining characteristics
Update related plans and codes
With these strategies in mind, the final Western Licking County Accord planning document included a “preferred” land use plan and design guidelines for new development to influence the 3 areas’ future decision-making. It also made recommendations for achieving specific objectives related to the Accord’s mission, which incorporated community feedback and considered the areas’ existing Future Land Use Maps and Comprehensive Plans as well as other planning documents (e.g., The Licking County Area Transportation Study Long-Range Multimodal Transportation Plan).
For examples of this type of successful collaboration elsewhere, check out the Big Darby Accord and the Rocky Fork-Blacklick Accord.
More Information
Top left photo: Donated by Lisa Hinson. Courtesy of New Albany Community Foundation
