Yellow Springs delays vote on new housing development

New meetings on Oberer project scheduled for January
The actual springs in Yellow Springs at Glen Helen, a 1,000-acre nature preserve with 25 miles of trails, about 30 minutes from Dayton. The famous spring carries 60 gallons of iron-rich water to the surface every minute, according to Glen Helen.

The actual springs in Yellow Springs at Glen Helen, a 1,000-acre nature preserve with 25 miles of trails, about 30 minutes from Dayton. The famous spring carries 60 gallons of iron-rich water to the surface every minute, according to Glen Helen.
Local News
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Dec 25, 2021
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YELLOW SPRINGS — Village council delayed its decision on a planned housing development after multiple villagers, including entertainer Dave Chappelle, spoke out against it at a previous meeting.

The housing development is on 53 acres of land south of the village, and the plans from Oberer Homes of Miamisburg include a variety of types of housing, including low-income housing and duplexes. The village worked with Oberer on developing what types of housing would be available at the new development.

Yellow Springs village council President Brian Housh said he and another council member, Laura Curliss, attended a meeting with Chappelle and other villagers on the project on Dec. 17.

ExplorePrevious: Chappelle ‘adamantly’ opposed to Yellow Springs housing proposal

Village council has scheduled a work session with the developer for Jan. 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to listen to a second proposal that would see more single-family homes in the development. The proposal would be heard at a Jan. 18 meeting, with the final vote expected to be Feb. 7.

Chappelle said he was “adamantly opposed” to the development at a public meeting on Dec. 6. He also threatened to pull his financial interests from the village, which include a plan for a restaurant called “Firehouse Eatery” and comedy club called “Live from YS.” Chappelle’s company, Iron Table Holdings LLC, bought the former Miami Twp. fire station in December. The station is located at 225 Corry St.

Village manager Josué Salmerón said there seemed to be a misunderstanding in the village that city council had been duped by Oberer and that the developer had gotten a better deal than the village realized. He highlighted the land that the developer planned to donate to the city for a park and the affordable housing component that Oberer had agreed to, which has 20% of the total units in the development set aside for affordable housing.

The site of the proposed housing development in Yellow Springs. By Mark Freistedt.

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Housh said one of the primary concerns of villagers who were at the Friday meeting was of people moving into the village who did not share the values of the village and diluting the culture, along with what Housh said was a misunderstanding of how the negotiations with Oberer had been conducted.

“One of the things that came up was even one of our planning commission members making statements about not understanding how the negotiation process went with Oberer,” Housh said. “That kind of surprised me since, you know, these are folks that are intimately involved in evaluating the project and so forth.”

Salmerón said he was becoming “more and more convinced” that if council approved the development as-is, that villagers would call for a referendum on the project, which could lead to a special election for the village. Housh noted that would be expensive for the village.

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About the Author

Eileen McClory is the education reporter for the Dayton Daily News. She grew up in the Dayton area and returned to cover her hometown.