August 11, 2005

By Diane Chiddister

Work has started on Glenwood Springs, the largest housing development in Yellow Springs in more than a decade.

“Things are going smoothly,” said developer Doug Eastham who, along with Mark Bertke, owns Purple Sage LLC, which is coordinating the development of the property, located on the south edge of town on Birch III, land formerly owned by Antioch College.

Eastham said that work on Glenwood Springs began during the week of July 25, a week after Village Council gave final approval to the first phase of the development.

The first phase includes the bulk of the development project, including 35 homes and a half-acre stormwater detention basin on 17.5 acres of land, which are located between Stewart Street, Birch Street, Glen View Road and East Hyde Road.

The project’s second phase, which includes the construction of five more homes, will require additional approval from Council and the Village Planning Commission.

Birch III is zoned Residence A, which allows for medium-density, single-family homes on lots that are at least 75 feet wide and include a total of 10,000 square feet. The development’s “protective covenants and restrictions” state that Glenwood Springs will include houses no taller than two and a half stories. Houses that are one story tall must be at least 1,800 square feet and two-story homes will be at least 2,200 square feet, according to Purple Sage documents.

Businesses involved in the development are KNA Construction of Casstown, Equity Contractors of Beavercreek and Phillips Companies, also of Beavercreek.

The builders’ initial task, which should be completed soon, is stormwater runoff management, Eastham said. That task involves putting in the detention basin and “contouring the land” to redirect stormwater runoff, he said.

“We want to make sure if we do get a downpour that we can contain the runoff,” he said.

The detention basin will be located in a five-acre area located on the southeast corner of the property.

The development created controversy when Purple Sage initially planned to locate the detention basin on a 5.11-acre plot that had long been considered a part of Glen Helen.

After local residents made clear their opposition to that use of the land, Purple Sage relocated the detention basin and donated the 5.11 acres to the Glen Helen Association to be preserved as a part of the Glen. Eastham and Bertke said last month that they had always intended to give the land back to the community.

The next step in the Glenwood Springs development includes installing water lines, storm sewers and sanitary sewers and building streets on the property, Eastham said. Stewart Street will be extended and will end in a cul-de-sac and two new streets, Spring Glen Street and Pagosa Way, will be constructed, according to development plans from Purple Sage. That work is expected to be completed by early November, Eastham said, at which point the construction of houses can begin.

Eastham said that “ideally” the company would have commitments for five to six houses to begin building in November. So far, he said, Purple Sage has commitments from three potential buyers to build homes this fall and from three more who wish to start construction of their homes next spring. The homes should take about five months to build, he said.

The six potential buyers who have made commitments for new homes live in Yellow Springs, Eastham said. Most are looking to downsize and seek homes in the 2,000- to 3,000-square-foot range, although a few are seeking larger homes for their families, he said. All of the homes are currently in the design phase, he said, and the final prices have not been established.

Eastham has said previously that the homes will fall into the $300,000 to $500,000 price range.

He cautioned Yellow Springers against walking on the Glenwood Springs property now that development has begun, and said that the developers have been concerned about neighbors exploring the progress of construction.

“We need to remind the public that this is still private property and for their safety they are not allowed to trespass,” he said. “It’s dangerous.”