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Glass Farm Site

Glass Farm is a 42-acre site located in the northwestern quadrant of the Village, though not all of the site can be developed. The eastern portion is preserved from development through an 11-acre conservation easement, and the western 6 acres is devoted to a Village solar array. Portions of the remaining 25 acres could be developed for a range of housing types.  

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​Three development concepts were prepared and the community indicated a higher level of residential density is desired for the site.  In addition, a few key design considerations emerged from the comments: 

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  • The existing conservation area must be preserved.  Any development must consider and account for stormwater runoff so as to not impact the conservation area

  • Any development should reflect the design values of Yellow Springs, including elements such as front porches, community space and varying elevation and floor plan designs

  • The development must provide pedestrian connections and incorporate the recommendations of the Active Transportation Plan

  • The development must include a mixture of affordable housing units.

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The Glass Farm site does have development challenges related to its location and site characteristics. First, the developer will need to extend utilities to the site or incorporate the Glass Farm into a larger phased development.
Secondly, much of the Glass Farm is comprised of hydric soils, resulting in the need for some level of augmentation to create stable building pads for the building sites. These site characteristics are not unique to Yellow Springs but will increase the cost of development.

Lastly, future housing development should incorporate conservation development design principles to reduce and minimize impacts to sensitive environmental areas.  Conservation development principles encourage the clustering of units in non-sensitive areas so that environmentally sensitive areas remain undisturbed. 

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To explore the feasibility of developing the Glass Farm site, the Village should consider the following actions:

 

  • Engage the Dayton Home Builders Association to convene an informal round table discussion with local builders and developers, gauging their interest in this site.  Developers can provide realistic feedback on the site constraints and types of development incentives that may be necessary.

 

  • If there is interest from the development community, the Village should develop and issue a non-binding Request For Proposals (RFP) to develop the Glass Farm.  The RFP should articulate the vision for the site, as well as expectations on affordability, density, and character.  A successful respondent should be granted an exclusive due diligence period to determine actual site development costs, housing types, and prices and negotiate with the Village. If negotiations are unsuccessful, the only cost to the Village is time spent with the developer.

 

  • Designating the site and surrounding vacant land as a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA).  The CRA is a state-administered economic and community development tool used to encourage development through real property tax exemption.  The program allows the local government to determine program parameters tailored to the community.​

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