Some residents in Yellow Springs continue to voice concerns about an apartment project being developed by Windsor Companies. Windsor is a regional real estate developer that has also worked to redevelop Dayton's historic Fire Blocks District.
The Yellow Springs Village Council approved Windsor's preliminary development plan on July 7.
The proposed plan includes demolishing the old Antioch Student Union Building and building 96 apartment units on 2.16 acres. The condemned building housed WYSO's studios from 1958 to 1994.
Windsor has proposed 128 parking spaces (1.3 spaces per unit), 15 units designated as permanent affordable housing and four Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant units.
Density, traffic and other concerns
Residents, especially homeowners nearest the property, have raised concerns about the project through public letters, testimonies and interviews. The most common issues include density, parking, traffic, accessibility and the 15-year tax abatement.
The Yellow Springs code for high-density housing typically allows 14 units per acre. This development, if approved, will have roughly 44 units per acre. The Village Council approved this density variance and additional bonus.
"The question arises, 'What's the realistic density bonus? Is it 10%, 20%, 200%?' 300% is definitely beyond the pale," said Jerry Papania, a retired civil engineer and homeowner next to the property, at a preliminary public meeting about the project.
According to Meg Leatherman, the planning and zoning administrator for Yellow Springs, the allocated density bonus was based on consideration of both the village's need for housing and the developer's requirements that would allow them to offer 15 affordable units.
Residents have also protested the amount of parking, claiming the number of cars will exceed available space and cause increased traffic.
Windsor is responsible for conducting a traffic study before construction. The Village Council added that the traffic study must include cars, bicycles, pedestrians, future businesses and parking.
Jason Dorsey, the lead designer for Windsor, explained that Antioch College has accommodated students with cars in previous decades when enrollment was higher, so traffic would not overwhelm the neighborhood more than it used to. He also said the apartment complex is designed to encourage alternative transportation, like walking and cycling, as a countermeasure.
Timothy Barton, a homeowner adjacent to the proposed project, was asked about the traffic a busy Antioch campus would cause compared with the potential traffic the apartments would create.
"I don't mind being put out so that young students are getting a great education." Barton said, "But I don't like being put out so that Windsor can make a killing on a bunch of units."
Leatherman said she and a civil engineer will thoroughly review the traffic study's findings. She also emphasized that citizen concerns have been incorporated to this point and will continue to be addressed in future steps.
Before construction can begin, the Village Council must approve the final development plan from Windsor and hold another public hearing. This plan must include details about village code requirements, traffic study results and implementations, a stormwater plan, an updated parking lot, a gardening layout, and a finalized building plan.
Windsor's intent
During the public meeting, Dorsey addressed residents' concerns and explained his company's intentions.
"I think that as we move forward and as I involve myself more with the community, they will see that I really do have good intentions." He said, "I know in their minds it's scary, it's change, it looks big, like it doesn't fit the neighborhood."
He continued, "But if I sat down with every person, and I told them who we were and who I am, and I showed them the design and why I designed it this way, I think they would understand more."
Arguments in support
Some people at the meeting argued that the village's values align with the completion of this project.
"So when our whole community says that we value inclusion and belonging. This is what it means. Let's do the right thing, folks, and build a bigger table, not a higher fence," Luisa Bieri, an Antioch College dean and village resident, said during the public hearing on the preliminary plan.
Asa Leventhal, another resident in support, also mentioned the importance of inclusion in the community: "What truly threatens the village's character is the trend toward becoming older, wealthier, and less diverse, driven by a housing shortage that keeps prices high and new families out."
Going forward
The next step in development is for Windsor to conduct a traffic study and apply for the tax abatement.
Windsor also plans to purchase and remodel the Kettering building at 150 East South College Street into a senior living apartment complex. WYSO's Yellow Springs offices are currently located in the Kettering Building but the station will be moving into new offices in the village later this year.
Dorsey from Windsor said approval for the density variance was crucial for his company, not only for the Student Union property but also for the prospect of the Kettering property being granted a variance.
Village code mandates that construction must begin within two years of the preliminary plan's approval. Windsor hopes to begin as soon as possible.
