Ohio resident Dave Chappelle seemingly is going the extra step to block developers from building a subdivision near his home in Yellow Springs.
According to YSNews, the comedian purchased 19 of the 52 acres previously purchased by Ohio-based Oberer Land Developers for $1.7 million.
The outlet confirmed the information after viewing the property information on the Greene County Auditor’s Geographic Information Systems website. Carla Sims, Chappelle’s publicist, also confirmed the purchase of land, she would not confirm what entertainer paid for the property now linked to his company, Iron Table Holdings LLC.
There is some speculation that Chappelle, who is worth an estimated $50 million, purchased the land to create some distance between his own property and any new construction, the Daily Mail reported.
Oberer bought the land in November 2020 to build a residential neighborhood, as previously reported. The company intended to build townhomes, duplexes, single-family homes, and affordable housing units on the development property Chappelle is against.
The village council had approved the development by Oberer, but it appears Chappelle’s land purchase has now either blocked or curtailed some of those plans, the Daily Mail reported.
He has repeatedly made headlines for his vocal opposition to the Yellow Springs housing project. At a town hall meeting back in February, local residents, who total 3,700 people, including Chapelle voiced their concerns to village officials about increased traffic near homes and safety for children who walk from home to school.
Last year, Dayton Daily News revealed the layout for Chappelle’s restaurant and adjacent comedy club, also bought by Iron Table Holdings LLC, in December 2021. That same month, he threatened to stop investing in Yellow Springs if Oberer’s proposal was approved. Chappelle has $65 million business investments in the area.
He said, “Obviously I live behind the development, or the proposed development. I do have many business interests in town. I’ve invested millions of dollars in town. If you push this thing through, what I’m investing in is no longer applicable.” He continued, “And Oberer can come and buy all this property from me if they want to be your benefactor because I will no longer.”
Chappelle lives on the outskirts of Yellow Springs on a 39-acre farm in a three-bedroom home which he bought for $690,000 in 2015, the Daily Mail reported.
Oberer had planned to convert a 52-acre plot of land into a $39 million housing complex. The development would include townhomes, duplexes, single-family homes and affordable housing units.
The proposed development project involved more than 100 homes priced from around $250,000 to $600,000. One of the arguments against the development that homes in this price range did not meet affordable housing status. “Affordable housing should cost an average household one-third or less of its total income. The average household in Yellow Springs earns about $61,522-a-year and the average house price is about $215,000,” the Daily Mail reported.
The plans would have consisted of 64 single-family homes, 52 duplexes and 24 townhomes with an additional 1.75 acres to be donated to the community for affordable housing to be built later, according to the Dayton Daily News.
