COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Comedian Dave Chappelle is refuting reports that he “killed” an affordable housing development plan near his Yellow Springs, Ohio home.
According to CNN, Chappelle’s publicist, Carla Sims, wrote in a statement to the network: “Dave Chappelle didn’t kill affordable housing. Concerned residents and a responding Village Council ‘killed’ a half-baked plan which never actually offered affordable housing.”
Previously, Chappelle had come under criticism after a video of him speaking out against the project at a Yellow Springs Village Council meeting was widely circulated online.
YSNEWS.com, the online edition of the Yellow Springs News, detailed the meeting where the planned unit development, or PUD, was voted down.
The article noted there were “10 letters in opposition to and three letters in support of the PUD,” and that a local political action committee, Resident Activism Yellow Springs, or RAYS, was recently formed by residents to oppose the PUD.
Residents who spoke against the rezoning at the meeting brought up environmental concerns about the land saying it had previously been a dump.
Neighbors also argued that the single-family development would better satisfy the area’s demand for housing.
“Eight out of 10 people under the age of 55 want single-family residences,” said former Village Council member Laura Curliss. “Those are families for the schools. Do not mistake the diversity of housing choices for the diversity of people.”
Additionally, those opposed to the PUD challenged the actual affordability of the proposed dwellings.
“The community I know has been slowly priced out,” said village resident Jonny Dread. “I think we have enough intelligence among us; we can do better.”
A sentiment that was echoed in Sims’s statement from Chappelle.
“Neither Dave nor his neighbors are against affordable housing, however, they are against the poorly vetted, cookie-cutter, sprawl-style development deal which has little regard for the community, culture and infrastructure of the Village,” Sims wrote.
At this time the developer still has the option to develop the land with single-family homes.