Ohio village scraps plan with affordable housing after Dave Chappelle threatens to pull his businesses

An Ohio village on Monday didn’t approve a zoning ordinance that included dozens of reasonably priced housing items after opposition from comic Dave Chappelle, who referred to as the village council “clowns” and threatened that his enterprise ventures could be “off the desk.”

Yellow Springs, Chappelle’s hometown, is the deliberate web site of the entertainer’s restaurant, Firehouse Eatery, and comedy membership, Reside from YS, which can be presently underneath growth in an previous village firehouse, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported final 12 months.

Chappelle has beforehand threatened to tug his enterprise investments from the city if the event had been authorised as proposed, though has not publicly specified precisely what he opposes within the plan.

At a December assembly, the Dayton Every day Information reported that Chappelle advised the council he was “adamantly opposed” and has “invested thousands and thousands of {dollars} on the town. Should you push this factor by way of, what I’m investing in is not relevant.”

Chappelle reiterated his opposition to the plan when the zoning change got here up for a vote Monday.

At that assembly, in response to video posted to the Yellow Springs Group Entry YouTube web page, Chapelle questioned why the council would pursue the housing plan “whereas it kicks out a $65 million-a-year firm.”

“I can not imagine you’ll make me audition for you, you appear to be clowns,” Chappelle mentioned Monday. “I’m not bluffing. I’ll take all of it off the desk.”

With one recusal, solely 4 council members had been accessible and the vote deadlocked at 2-2, guaranteeing the brand new housing growth can not proceed, the Dayton Every day Information reported.

Representatives for Chappelle didn’t instantly reply to an NBC Information request for remark.

Paperwork posted by the Yellow Springs council confirmed that the proposal was pitched as a approach to cut back the price of housing and permit staff for village companies to stay close to their jobs.

With out the higher-density and reasonably priced dwelling items, one memo by council president Brian Housh mentioned, the beginning value for properties within the growth may leap by $100,000.

Housh, who voted in favor of the zoning change, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.