February 15, 2007

By Lauren Heaton

As part of the conversation about the possible annexation of the 40-acre Fogg farm at the western edge of Yellow Springs, some villagers have suggested that residential development would better serve the village if it occured inside Village limits, thus increasing density rather than promoting what some see as sprawl at the edge of town. According to Village records, about 136 acres of undeveloped or “unimproved” property lies within the Village that could theoretically be available for new housing.

In recent interviews, some property owners stated that they have no plans to develop, while others said they are already in the process of seeking a developer or are planning to develop their land in the future.

Included in the 110 acres of undeveloped land is a 22.6-acre property north of Dayton Street owned by the Kinney family. Daryl Kinney, who owns his family’s farm, said last week that he anticipates within the next year proposing a planned unit development with a mix of moderately-priced homes on his property. While Kinney did not specify the number of homes, his brother, Keith Kinney, said that up to 180 homes are possible.

But Daryl Kinney said he worries that his development might have to compete with three other housing developments already approved by Planning Commission, including Glenwood Springs (Birch III), Thistle Creek, the Stancliff Neighborhood, and finally the 200 homes planned for the Fogg farm if it is annexed.

“I question whether the village needs another 200 homes,” Kinney said.

Two different in-town properties are already zoned residence A, including an 8-acre parcel at the corner of Corry and Allen streets owned by Antioch College and a 7.7-acre property at the southern edge of Southgate Drive on which the owners Ken and Betheen Struewing submitted to Village Planning Commission last year the concept plans for an 8-unit housing development.

Two more properties have previously been targeted for housing, including 28 acres on the Village-owned Glass Farm and a 4.9-acre parcel at the northern end of Wright Street owned by Rick and Mary Donahoe, which at one time was slated for development by Jonathon Brown. This week Donahoe said he and his wife do not plan to develop the land.

Another unimproved parcel, the 7-acre Rabbit Run Farm owned by Suzanne -Patterson, is also located inside the village. This week Patterson stated that she plans to continue farming her land.

In town three developments are currently in process. Glenwood Springs is a 20-acre development with 35 single-family lots currently being built between Stewart Street and Glen View Road by developer Doug Eastham. Thistle Creek is a 4.2-acre parcel off of King Street where Brown and Ron Stickelman are planning to build 22 homes. And the -Stancliff Neighborhood is a 1.7-acre lot north of Dayton Street where Suzanne Clauser plans to build 10 homes.

Outside the village limits but surrounded on more than one side by Village property are several parcels which some villagers have suggested might be more appropriate for annexation than the Fogg farm because of the land’s proximity to Yellow Springs. One of those 10 acres is owned by the Nickoson family located at the north end of King street and surrounded on four sides by village property. The property has been for sale for two years, and though the family does not intend to develop it themselves, Joe Nickoson said last week that he believes the property would be easy to annex.

Also located outside the village but flanked on two sides by village property is a 10.6-acre parcel owned by the -Struewings, adjacent to their eight-unit development property, on which they also proposed to planning commission last year a 20-unit housing development. Struewing said last week that he will continue to pursue both developments.

In total, all of the properties in and outside village limits whose owners have already submitted formal plans for residential building represent a possible 122 new homes. Add that number to the current plans for the Fogg property, and the village has the potential to approve plans for 332 new homes in the village in the space of two years. If the Kinney farm is developed, that number could increase substantially.

According to assistant Village Planner Ed Amrhein, the Fogg property has been targeted for development in the Village Comprehensive Plan for as many as 10 years.

The two agricultural properties adjacent to Fogg, 29 acres owned by the Lake family and 215 acres owned by Matt -Arnovitz are not targeted for development in the comprehensive plan, Amrhein said. Annexation of the Fogg property won’t necessarily increase the opportunities for development on the neighboring properties, Amrhein said.

“They’re very different pieces of property when viewed in the context of the comprehensive plan,” Amrhein said.

Arnovitz, a developer currently working with local architect Ted Donnell to develop a parcel in downtown Yellow Springs, said last week that he did map out a “preliminary master plan” of a 10–20 year vision for his farm.

“At some point in time this property may be developed—a mostly residential development,” Arnovitz said. “It’s just conceptual right now, but it includes single-family and clusters for higher density.”

Arnovitz said he is in no rush to develop now and also wonders if the demand for housing on his property will be eclipsed by the availability of new homes inside the village and potentially on the Fogg farm.

“It’s possible there isn’t enough of a market for all of us,” Arnovitz said. “Over the last 20 years in Yellow Springs there hasn’t been an increase in the population. We would do a feasibility study about the market in the village before we did anything.”

Contact: lheaton@ysnews.com