Dave Chappelle threatened to pull his various business ventures from his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio, if the village council went ahead with a plan to build — wait for it — more affordable housing in the area.
As the Dayton Daily News reports, Yellow Springs had been working with Oberer Homes on a new development project that was set to include a mix of single-family homes, duplexes, and townhouses; Oberer was also set to donate an additional 1.75 acres to the town where more affordable housing could be built in the future. But thanks to opposition from Chappelle — who threatened to pull his business ventures from Yellow Springs if the plan moved forward — and other members of the Yellow Springs community, the council rejected the proposal Monday night, Feb 7, and instead went with the original plan: 143 single-family homes with a starting price of about $300,000.
Chappelle’s various dealings in Yellow Springs are spearheaded by his company, Iron Table Holdings LLC, and he’s reportedly planning to launch a restaurant called the Firehouse Eatery and a comedy club, Live from YS. At the council meeting Monday, Chappelle bandied about the heft “$65 million a year company” as he threatened to axe his own business ventures.
“I cannot believe you would make me audition for you,” Chappelle said. “You look like clowns. I am not bluffing, I will take it all off the table.”
Chappelle, as the Yellow Springs News previously pointed out, lives near the proposed development site. He and others who have opposed the plan have raised concerns over increased traffic, a lack of sidewalks, and the general setup of the development.
At a council meeting last December, Chappelle stated he was “adamantly opposed” to the project, and added, “I’ve invested millions of dollars in town. If you push this thing through, what I’m investing in is no longer applicable. I would say that Oberer can buy all of this property from me if they want to be your benefactor because I will no longer want to.”
A representative for Chappelle did not immediately return a request for comment.
