July 14, 2005

Krista Magaw, left, and Suzanne Patterson were among the approximately 35 Yellow Springers who walked around the Glass Farm to discuss land use planning on Saturday. The walk was one in a series of outings by the Smart Growth Task Force.

By Diane Chiddister

About 35 villagers traipsed through fields in the hot sun on Saturday morning during a walk over the Glass Farm on the northwest edge of the village, as they discussed land use planning for the property.

The walk was organized by the Smart Growth Task Force and facilitated by Clark Tibbits, an expert in the field of environmental preservation and the restoration of economic health in communities.

“You have started a nice process here,” Tibbits said. “You’ve taken the right first step today by going out and examining the property in question.”

A 44-acre property owned by the Village for several decades, the Glass Farm has figured into many discussions about local growth. In 2002 voters decisively rejected a plan to construct affordable housing on the eastern portion of the farm, with many of the development’s opponents citing the fact that the property was partially purchased with Village green space funds.

Currently, the western part of the farm is leased for farming and the eastern part is open fields. Neighbors of the Glass Farm who attended the walk said that neighborhood children have often played in the open space.

Mary Kosheleff said that the Village Environmental Commission had discussions on possible uses of the farm about five years ago when she was a member. At that time, commission members considered using one third of the property for green space, one third for housing and one third for clean business opportunities, she said.

Last week, Village Council passed the first reading of an ordinance to sell a little over an acre of the farm, off King Street, to Phillips-Brown Homes, which will develop new housing on land, formerly owned by St. Paul Catholic Church, that abuts the Glass Farm. Developers Cathy Phillips and Jonathan Brown have said that purchasing the slice of the Glass Farm will enhance traffic flow in the development and allow them to build more homes, which will bring down the cost of the homes. Council will give the ordinance a second reading at its July 18 meeting.

At their meeting on July 5 Council members also discussed a resolution that would preserve about 14 acres of the Glass Farm’s eastern section as green space, protected by a conservation easement. Council will discuss the resolution further on July 18.

The Village will soon initiate a stream restoration project in the proposed green space area, said Assistant Village Planner Ed Amrhein, who took part in the walk. The project includes restoring the natural meander of the stream that flows across the farm, building a two-acre retention basin and installing larger pipes. The purpose of the project is to slow down the flow of the stream to prevent flooding, which has plagued properties on the north end of town.

Peggy Erskine, who lives on Northwood, said that flooding problems have increased over the years, especially with new development in the area. She encouraged the Village to “retain enough property to expand the retention basin if two acres is not enough.”

Village Council needs to be more proactive in addressing development needs rather than often seeming to “react” to developers’ wishes, said Dimi Reber, who suggested that Council could offer developers a checklist of the community’s values and needs.

Julia Cady of Tecumseh Land Trust said that dividing up the Glass Farm piecemeal will result in a less well-thought out overall plan.

“It’s important to look at the entire 44 acres as a plan. It should be planned all at once,” she said.

At a discussion following the walk, participants focused their attention on a proposed plan for a “swap” between part of the Glass Farm and the Fogg farm, which is located on Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, west of East Enon Road and outside Yellow Springs.

Doug Miller, the broker/owner of HRI Commercial Realty in Beavercreek who owns the Fogg farm along with the Lucy Van Ness Fogg Living Trust, proposed last fall that the property be developed with a combination of residential properties and commercial businesses to serve the Center for Business and Education across the street.

However, the plan drew considerable protest from villagers who opposed development on what is now open space and precipitated recent “smart growth” activities.

Recently, Miller was asked to consider swapping the land he owns for Glass Farm land. If such a swap occurred, Miller would benefit because his residential development would be in town instead of on the outskirts, and the Village would benefit by maintaining green space, said Steve Deal, a member of the Village Planning Commission.

In an interview on Tuesday, Miller said that the suggestion came during a meeting several weeks ago with representatives from the Smart Growth Task Force, Tecumseh Land Trust and Community Resources. The groups requested that Miller consider using smart-growth principles if the Fogg farm is developed, he said, and some people suggested the swap.

Miller said he has not discussed the proposal with either Village Council or with his business partner, noting that he would not respond fully until he does so.

However, he said, “There are things in my mind that would make the swap difficult.” Miller also said the location of the Glass Farm was less desirable.