April 13, 2006

By Robert Mihalek

The Stancliff neighborhood passed the first of two phases last week needed before construction of the proposed 10-home development off Dayton Street can begin.

At its meeting April 3, Village Council unanimously approved the second reading of an ordinance rezoning the 1.77-acre Stancliff property from Residence A to Planned Unit Development-Residential. PUD-R allows a development to include a maximum of eight single-family or two-family homes per acre or 12 multi-family dwellings per acre.

Rezoning the property is the first of two approval processes required under the Village’s Planned Unit Development ordinance, under which Mike Alexander and Suzanne Clauser are developing the Stancliff neighborhood. As part of the first phase of the PUD process the developers also had to present a preliminary plan that included information on proposed land uses, lot layout and the number and size of housing units.

The Village Planning Commission approved the preliminary plan for the Stancliff project in February, setting the stage for Council’s rezoning decision last week.

The second phase of the approval process is called the final development plan, which includes detailed information, such as engineering designs.

The Stancliff project now enters this second phase, beginning with the Planning Commission, which is required to hold a public hearing and make a recommendation to Council on the proposal’s final development plan. Village Planner Phil Hawkey said the plan board would likely hold the hearing at its May 8 meeting.

If the project’s final plan receives the backing of the Planning Commission, the development would return to Council for its approval, since the property will be subdivided into sellable lots, Council member Bruce Rickenbach, who is also the chairman of the Planning Commission, said during last week’s meeting. Council would have 30 days to approve the final plan.

The Stancliff neighborhood would include 10 two-story homes, ranging from 1,100 square feet to 1,700 square feet. An 11th lot on the development would be used for five extra parking spaces and emergency vehicle access.

The property, which is owned by Clara Mae Stancliff, is located behind existing houses on the north side of Dayton Street, between East Enon Road and Wright Street. It borders to the south the Kinney farm, which also is likely to be developed.

Access to the Stancliff neighborhood would come from Dayton Street via a new road, Kenneth Hamilton Way, which would be constructed on an existing right-of-way that the Village owns.

The Stancliff neighborhood is the second project developed through the Village’s PUD ordinance, which Council and the plan board revised last year to provide more flexible development standards and encourage creative building design and use of land. The first project, Thistle Creek, a 22-home development off King Street, was approved in December.

In other Council business:

• In two separate votes, Council unanimously agreed to appoint Chad Runyon to the Environmental Commission and Katrina Dorsey to the Human Relations Commission.

• Council unanimously agreed not to file objections with the Ohio Division of Liquor Control for renewals of all eight liquor permit holders in Yellow Springs. Police Chief John Grote told Council that after reviewing the permit holders he found “no reason on my part” to object to any of the renewals.

Contact: rmihalek@ysnews.com