NEWS

Licking County lands $300 million Amazon data center

Kent Mallett
Reporter

NEW ALBANY – Licking County will be home to a $300 million Amazon data computing center and possibly future Amazon developments.

The company announced Friday its Midwest expansion includes data computing centers in New Albany, Dublin and Hilliard, and the creation of 1,000 jobs over the next couple years.

The New Albany development will provide 25 jobs initially at a 150,000-square-foot facility on 68 acres north of Ohio 161 and east of Beech Road in the New Albany Personal Care and Beauty Campus.

“We are excited about this project not just for New Albany but for the central Ohio region and our entire state,” said New Albany City Manager Joe Stefanov. “This investment puts our region on the map with the cloud computing industry.”

Paul Misener, vice president of global public policy at Amazon.com, Inc., joined Gov. John Kasich and JobsOhio President John Minor, at a press conference announcing the agreement.

“Today is just the beginning for Amazon in the state,” Misener said. “The state’s central location, its great workforce, its strong economy, is hard to miss, hard to ignore.”

Misener also said Amazon.com will voluntarily begin collecting Ohio sales taxes Monday as part of the deal. He estimated the tax would generate between $150 million and $300 million annually.

State Sen. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, said Licking County also has a shot at landing one of Amazon’s fulfillment centers.

“Today's announcement by Amazon means more jobs, more economic development and more opportunity for central Ohio and western Licking County,” Hottinger said.

“This is not just a typical manufacturing company, but one of the premier technology companies in the country, and in the world.”

The beauty campus employs about 2,000 at a dozen companies, with about 1,700 additional jobs previously planned for the campus.

Another company in the beauty campus plans to expand, Hottinger said, and will double its space there.

“The New Albany Business Park is already the largest corporate business park in the state, and it is quickly emerging as one of the most attractive locations in the country for establishing, relocating and expanding a business,” Hottinger said.

Dan Evers, director of community improvement corporation Grow Licking County, said he expects construction to begin this year on the Amazon facility.

“This was truly a regional effort,” Evers said. “We can’t be more proud of the environment that exists in Licking County and the region that creates opportunities like this.”

The New Albany City Council recently approved a 15-year, 100 percent property tax abatement with Vadata, a subsidiary of Amazon, for the data center development.

“This is something that will send a message to our young people that, you want to think, you want to live in the future, you want to understand technology, you stay right here in Ohio,” Kasich said at the press conference.

kmallett@newark

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