Present at the Tuesday, Sept. 10 Planning Commission meeting were Scott Osterholm, Gavi DeVore Leonard, Gary Zaremsky, Chair Susan Stiles and Planning and Zoning Administrator Meg Leatherman. Stephen Green was absent. Shown here is Educational Service Center Superintendent Terry Graves-Strieter who spoke against rezoning the Morgan Fields from R-A to R-C. (Video still)
Planning Commission approves next steps in ongoing development projects
- Published: September 24, 2024
At Planning Commission’s most recent meeting, Tuesday, Sept. 10, the group approved three consequential applications — all of which will allow several local groups to press ahead in their ongoing projects, construction and development.
Planning Commission members approved:
• A phase two final plat application from DDC Management, which upon future approval from Village Council, permits the Miamisburg-based development company to continue building homes in the new Spring Meadows subdivision.
• A conditional use application from Ruetschle Architects on behalf of the Yellow Springs Exempted Village School District, which allows the district to begin the facilities improvement project — a combination of renovation and new construction at McKinney Middle and Yellow Springs High schools.
• A zoning map amendment to rezone 3.612 acres of school district-owned land — where the Morgan soccer fields are presently located — from R-A, or low-density residential, to R-C, or high-density residential.
Each of these applications received unanimous approval from Planning Commission members. Present at Tuesday’s meeting were Commission Chair Susan Stiles, Council Liaison Gavin DeVore Leonard, Gary Zaremsky and Scott Osterholm. Commissioner Stephen Green was absent.
Spring Meadows development continues
Before Planning Commission’s approval of DDC Management’s phase two final plat application, Village Planning and Zoning Administrator Meg Leatherman told commissioners that construction of the 90-unit subdivision is on schedule, and that phase two follows the construction timeline set forth in 2022.
Since last summer, when construction began on the undeveloped 23 acres at 402 Wright St., around a dozen single-family homes have been built, new roads have been established and utility infrastructure has been put in place.
Should Village Council approve Planning Commission’s recommendation at a future meeting to green light phase two of the project, DDC can move forward with building all the remaining homes in the northern-most quadrant of the subdivision.
Leading up to the vote, the subdivision’s first resident, longtime villager Eric Clark, sent a letter to Planning Commission, expressing some concerns he had about the trash generated from the ongoing construction.
“There are too many layers of bureaucracy,” Clark wrote. “Within the responsibilities of the construction process, we have the developer, builder, homeowners association, sales, county and the Village. When there is a question or when a problem arises, none of the various parties seem to know what to do or whom to contact.”
DDC Project Manager Ross Behnfeldt addressed Clark’s concerns at Tuesday’s meeting and said that wind-blown trash is a “common issue” when subdivisions are being built. To address that problem, Behnfeldt recommended Clark and other residents reach out to Spring Meadows’ new homeowners association, Columbus-based Omni Community Managers.
“They manage the day-to-day business, pay the bills, keep the entry lighting on and pay the pond contractor,” Behnfeldt said. “Before long they’ll be paying a landscaping contractor to make sure the grass is mowed.”
Behnfeldt acknowledged a “breakdown in communication” between the subdivision’s earliest residents and the several parties involved in its ongoing construction, but assured Clark that his issues with trash would not only be addressed, but are short-lived. Once construction ends and the homeowners association “ramps up,” Behnfeldt said, the point-of-contact will be much more apparent.
Leatherman added: “And you can always contact me if you’re unsure. I try to be very approachable and can solve these kinds of problems for anyone in the community.”
School facilities improvements approved
“I want to thank all the residents of the school district and their support for what we know is a tremendously heavy lift,” said YS Schools Superintendent Terri Holden on Tuesday. “I think we all know improvements to our facilities [have been] a long time coming. These buildings are going to be beautiful.”
So said the superintendent before Planning Commission members approved a conditional use application to demolish parts of the existing McKinney Middle and Yellow Spring High schools to construct two new additions to the facilities.
With the additions, the 61-year-old school will grow in physical square footage from 54,754 to 104,110. New academic wings, parking area, one-way driveway near the main entrance, two half-size basketball courts and open-field play area were included in the application.
Mike Ruetschle, of Ruetschle Architects — which worked with the district to develop the facilities project’s master plan before it was approved by voters last November — said he and his team are excited to begin renovating the schools.
“This is going to be a significant transformation,” Ruetschle said. “The existing building will not be recognizable when we’re done.”
After some discussion, Planning Commission members agreed to approve the district’s application, but on four conditions:
• Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the district must improve the sidewalk along East Enon Road to a width of five feet.
• Obtain final approval from Choice One Engineering before applying for a building permit.
• Provide a total of 164 vehicle parking spaces.
• Provide 26 racks for bicycle parking.
Near the vote, Council Liaison DeVore Leonard addressed Superintendent Holden: “Congratulations on being here. I know it’s been a long road.”
Some attendees of the meeting applauded.
High-density zoning approved
Just north of the middle and high schools, and still on district-owned property are the Morgan soccer fields — the home turf for a number of area soccer organizations in Yellow Springs and, recently, the topic of some local dispute.
As the News has reported over the last year, several local governing and independent bodies — including Village Council and the school board — have petitioned the district to consider selling the 3.6-acre soccer fields to the Village, with the goal of one day siting a 50-unit, low-income housing development on the land.
While the district still maintains ownership of the soccer fields, Planning Commission members took a notable step toward actualizing that goal when they voted 4-0 to rezone that land from R-A, or low-density residential, to R-C, or high-density residential.
“Currently there is not a development plan for this property,” Zoning Administrator Leatherman told Planning Commissioners at the outset of the discussion. “The intent here is just to rezone the property to potentially prepare it for future applications. R-C allows for multifamily [housing] outright.”
Although Planning Commission members were tasked with evaluating the zoning map amendment at face value, without consideration of the ongoing discourse and proposed plans — in particular, local affordable housing nonprofit YS Home, Inc.’s intention to apply for up to $20 million in low-income housing tax credits to build the development — several local residents who attended Tuesday’s meeting spoke with the future in mind.
“I’d request you shelve this idea until you actually get a loan approved for this low-income housing can go forward,” local resident Jeff Campbell said. “You’re talking about something that may not happen for years, so there’s no sense in rezoning something that you may have to rescind in the near future.”
Villager Jackie Hempfling, who is a part of the local affordable housing advocacy group Springers 4 More Springers, disagreed.
“The rezoning of this land is basically necessary in order to prove to larger affordable housing developers that Yellow Springs does actually favor affordable housing,” Hempfling said. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t be willing to put their time and energy into this sort of project.”
Echoing Hempfling, several other village residents spoke in favor of rezoning the land — with each person in favor of siting the proposed low-income housing development on the Morgan Fields.
“In rezoning this parcel we take one step forward, not just towards applying for the low-income housing tax credits, but towards the biggest opportunity Yellow Springs has ever had to make good on its commitment to affordable housing,” said Matt Raska, also a member of Springers 4 More Springers.
Raska added: “It’s the clerks, servers, cooks and village crew that make Yellow Springs what it is. Often, they cannot afford to live here.”
Villager and owner of Dino’s Cappuccinos Dino Pallotta took some umbrage with the suggestion that opposing the rezoning is at odd with working-class residents seeking future homes in the village.
“I too am a working person who’s working seven days a week, 364 days a year, bright and early every morning. So I understand how important it is for working people to be able to live here,” Pallotta said. “But why are we pushing forward with this when we don’t have enough information? Please table this.”
Pallotta alluded to a recent complication in — and new questions about — the ongoing discourse around the Morgan Fields: Earlier this month, the Greene County Educational Service Center, or ESC, located adjacent to the middle and high schools, publicly said they are considering purchasing the land.
“We’ve given notice that we are interested in the property as potential buyers,” ESC Superintendent Terry Graves-Strieter said. “I’m here tonight to express our desire to not have the property rezoned from low-density to high-density. While ESC houses many offices on one side of our building, we also run a learning center for students on the other side, where we want to have as much green space as possible, so students can play and have outdoor activities.”
Graves-Strieter continued: “The ESC is not in favor of any housing development — low-density or high — going in the space next to our building. We believe this may cause issues of safety for our students we serve, as well as issues with traffic congestion for students, family and staff — as well as the Yellow Springs Schools and our neighbors.”
Despite these concerns, the Planning Commission ultimately voted 4-0 in favor of recommending to Council to rezone the Morgan Fields from low- to high-density residential.
The next Village Planning Commission will be Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers in the John Bryan Community Center.
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