But questions have been raised in surrounding rural communities about where those workers will live, play and send their kids to school.
Fifteen minutes west and into Greene County, Jamestown, a village of 2,047 people, has been here before. The manufacturing behemoth taking shape to the east presents an opportunity for the village to benefit economically. But equally on the minds of residents is staying true to the village’s small-town sense of community.
“It’s a good problem to have,” said Jamestown mayor Josh Bradley. “It’s just everything moves fast, and there’s no time to waste.”
Amber Trotter is one of four founders of Main Street Jamestown, and the village’s re-vamped Chamber of Commerce. Trotter, 37, has lived in Jamestown her entire life. The village experienced a similar expansion, and influx of residents when Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services moved into Wilmington and brought with it its own crop of workers.
Now, Honda represents her generation’s version of “a lot coming all at once,” she said.
“It’s our generation figuring out what happens when a big potentially booming business comes, or manufacturing plant comes, and how it adjusts our everyday life.”
The plant is being built west of Ohio 729 and south of Interstate 71 in Jefferson Twp. and is expected to start production in 2025. Honda has hosted several community events in the past few months, attended local government meetings, and has visited area high schools to talk about career opportunities available at the facility, said LGES-Honda joint venture CEO Bob Lee.
“Mostly, we have been listening,” Lee said. “Honda has been in Ohio for 45 years, but this facility will be based in a different community and both Honda and LG Energy Solution understand the importance of community involvement.”
Increased traffic through Jamestown presents a boost for local businesses, Trotter said. The village of Jamestown is a tight-knit community, in which many people have lived for a long time, but has also had an influx of young families in recent years.
Jamestown families send their children to the Greeneview School District, which according to the latest Ohio Department of Education report card, has 1,244 students.
“From a chamber perspective and even a resident perspective, we love our small town. We love to share that with people, obviously,” she said. “But always on our minds are, ‘Where are they going to go? How many more kids can our school districts hold? All the little things.”
One perpetual problem seen in communities throughout Ohio is lack of housing. While the Dayton region ranks among the nation’s most affordable markets, local home and rent prices are growing far faster than wages, a Dayton Daily News investigation found.
Jamestown, like other parts of eastern Greene County, is one potential market.
“We know that there’s going to be a market for these homes, there’s going to be a need for these homes, so that’s kind of why we’ve started making some of the plans that we have,” Bradley said.
Honda and LG are still a few years from starting production, so have not yet determined specific needs regarding housing, Lee said, though recruitment efforts are expected to start at the end of this year.
Local homebuilders in Jamestown already plan to add around 16 more homes in the village as early as this summer, with another 23 acres already zoned for more housing. Other developers have expressed interest in other parcels of land around the village, that would accommodate a significantly greater number.
The village is working with local engineers, looking at water system upgrades, wastewater system upgrades, and preliminary ideas on a new water plant that would be able to handle a potential influx of homes, Bradley said.
“We’re starting to make preparations and doing everything we can to be prepared for whatever may come,” Bradley said. “There are a lot of variables, though, that are just absolutely unknown at this point.”
The village has its own community plan in the works, with which leaders hope residents will continue to ask questions and shape their community’s future.
“It’s a fine line to walk: of growth and development, infrastructure development, economic development, but still staying true to what our community is. And that’s a close knit community with a small town feel,” Bradley said.
“I’ve received positive feedback, but mostly a lot of questions,” Bradley said. “What kind of expectations does Honda have for these communities that are going to be around there? How’s it gonna affect the community?”
Jefferson Twp., where the plant is located, has a population of 2,619 people.
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