2 tenants not included in new Millworks plans

The new owners of Millworks business park in Yellow Springs have plans to transform the property, partly into a destination for arts and craft beer enthusiasts, but the plans do not include extending leases for two of the tenants.

Jessica Yamamoto, who bought the property in September for $1.15 million with husband Antonio Molina, recently presented the preliminary plans to the village planning commission.

The plans call for new buildings — artist lofts and a hostel — as well as renovating the existing structures and enabling Yellow Springs Brewery to expand.

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“As members of this community, we want to support and promote growth from the local businesses that are really growing and thriving,” Yamamoto said. “We’ve never owned anything this spacious before. Meeting needs of the community and honoring the village’s comprehensive plan has been our primary goal.”

The leases for two of the tenants — EnviroFlight, LLC and S&G Distillery — are not being renewed.

EnviroFlight was founded in Yellow Springs and is now a joint venture with Intexron Corporation and Darling Ingredients Inc. They utilize waste by-products to produce black fly larvae as an alternative, more sustainable food source for pets, farm animals and fish.

EnviroFlight employees 22 people for high-paying jobs, including entomologists, engineers and research technicians, according to Liz Koutsos, EnviroFlight, LLC president.

“We have been told the lease will not be renewed,” Koutsos said. “They have a different vision for this facility that does not include EnviroFlight.”

Koutsos said their lease expires in December 2021 and whether the company stays in the area is not certain.

“We have a great group of talent here and many of them are from Yellow Springs … have purchased homes in Yellow Springs. We think we’re very vested in this community, so it’s going to be a transition for us,” Koutsos said.

Yamamoto said EnviroFlight was the first business they reached out to, but a meeting didn’t happen until more than a month later. Yamamoto said following Tuesday’s planning commission meeting she offered EnviroFlight a 10-year lease but there has been no response.

Koutsos said she has not seen such an offer since the planning commission meeting.

S&G Distillery was also founded in Yellow Springs by Kerry Scheuner and her husband Hajo Scheuner. The husband and wife team have been producing distilled spirits at the Millworks site since 2010.

Kerry Scheuner said they had plans to expand and sign a long-term lease with the former Millworks owners as demand for their products has increased, but the new owners wanted the distillery to relocate to a different location on the property and expansion would not have been possible.

Scheuner said their lease expires in January 2020 and the future of their business is uncertain.

“We were told they were making room for other businesses,” Scheuner said.

The preliminary plans submitted for approval to the village included a distillery, “it just won’t be S&G,” Yamamoto said.

“There is a company that has approached us on manufacturing and creating a craft distillery at Millworks and we are confident that this small company will provide a dozen new jobs for the village,” she said.

The leases for three artists that have shops on the property are being renewed, including Michel Zurbuchen’s Sculptor’s Emporium.

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Zurbuchen has been working in his current space for 22 years, but his shop will be relocated on the property. He said he sees a lot of opportunity to network and grow his business under the new owners’ plans

“In one respect it allows artists like me to have, first a place to do our craft, our art, potentially have a place to produce and sell from, it also allows us to network more,” he said.

Yamamoto said she and her husband will be available to anyone wishing to discuss their plans today from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Emporium Wines & Underdog Café.

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