Community Resources Fact Sheet
Volume 1, Number 1
Public Meeting Announcement
Members of the Yellow Springs and Miami
Township communities are invited to join
Community Resources at an open community
meeting to discuss plans for the Center for
Business and Education that will be located at the
corner of Dayton-Yellow Springs and East Enon
Roads.
This meeting will be held on Tuesday, January
11, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. in the Bryan Center gym.
The purpose of this meeting is to update the
community on plans for the Center, to review the
history of this project, and to explain the public
process going forward. The meeting will be hosted
by Community Resources and facilitated by Fred
Bartenstein.
Center for Business and Education
The Center for Business and Education will be
located on 46 acres that was recently sold by
Vernay Laboratories to Community Resources.
Since 1998, Community Resources has been
working with the community and local government
to generate a long term strategy for the retention
and expansion of jobs in the Village. During the
past several years, Community Resources has
held community meetings to discuss this strategy
and solicit community input. These meetings have
focused on the concept of a commerce park in the
Yellow Springs area. Many suggestions from the
community have been incorporated into planning
for the park, which is now called the Center for
Business and Education.
Center for Business & Education
Yellow Springs
High School
Figure 1 – Location of Center for Business and Education
[source: Community Resources]
January 5, 2005
Why the Center for Business and Education is
Needed
It is important that the community take the
opportunity to learn more about the Center for
Business and Education. The success of this
project is critical to the long term economic and
educational health of the Village. Most villagers
have probably noticed that they are paying more in
taxes and utilities now than they did five, ten, or
fifteen years ago. There are two main reasons for
this:
1. Since the 1970s, the population of the village
has decreased nearly 20%, from 4,624 to
3,761 residents, even while the number of
households increased by 12%. During the
same period, Ohio’s population grew 7% and
the US grew by almost 40%.
2. In just one decade, tax and utility revenues to
the village have declined 15% from the
commercial/ industrial sector as a result of
fewer jobs.
5000
4500
4000
3500
3000
1970 1980 1990 2000
Figure 2 – Population of Yellow Springs, Ohio, US, 1970 – 2000
[source: Yellow Springs Cost of Living Survey]
When there are fewer citizens paying taxes, fewer
employees paying taxes, and fewer companies
paying taxes and utility costs, there are two
choices for local government:
1. Spread the tax and utility costs over the
smaller number of citizens and businesses, or
2. Expand the tax base by attracting new
residents and new businesses.

Many organizations have been working on various
aspects of these problems. Groups such as Home
Inc. and Starfish have worked to create more
moderately priced housing in the area to attract
more residents. The village has changed zoning
standards so that houses can be built on lots with
minimum frontage of 50 feet. The school board
recently asked taxpayers for a new personal
income tax to help keep up with educational costs.
And most recently, the village has initiated an
education and survey process to find out which
services are most important to local residents and
which may be eliminated, in order to spend tax
money in line with local interests.
Why Annex and Develop Land?
There have been calls for doing something with
vacant lots and buildings that are located in
industrial and commercial zones of the village.
These include the bowling alley building, Eye One
building, the lumber yard, and the soon to be
vacated Vernay Laboratories complex. Each of
these is potentially available for development, and
each has its own set of issues that has made
purchase of the properties difficult for most
business people, such as limited lot size or
restricted use of existing buildings.
According to a Wright State University survey
completed in 2002:
“Businesses which are expanding or
relocating often look for acreage which is
easily adaptable for new facilities…
Companies which are looking for a new
location are generally growing and,
therefore, seek larger and/or higher
quality space.” [Economic Assessment
Study, September 2002]
And the Wright State group found, in a 1998
survey of companies in Yellow Springs, that
“…of the six manufacturing companies
included in the survey, three were
interested in renovating or expanding....all
faced barriers to renovation and
expansion due to either land
configuration, zoning/building regulation
or inspection barriers, and cash flow
problems.” [Economic Assessment
Study, September 2002]
Community Resources has been researching the
needs of the local business community for
retention and expansion in the Yellow Springs area
and local government has been addressing some
of the issues facing business development. In
2002, the governments of the Village of Yellow
Springs and Miami Township signed a Cooperative
Economic Development Agreement (CEDA) for
two parcels of land adjacent to Village limits. The
two properties were the 46 acre parcel owned by
Vernay Laboratories and another 34 acre property
owned by the Pitstick family.
Under the CEDA, the properties were identified as
suitable for commercial development (not retail,
not residential) and would be annexed to the
Village if developed for such purposes. In
exchange, the township would share tax revenues
from development of the properties with the
Village. In 2004, an additional property was added
to the CEDA (40 acres owned by Doug Miller and
the Fogg family).
Pitstick property
Center for Business
& Education
Fogg property
Figure 3 – Map Showing all CEDA Properties
[source: Community Resources]
History of Community Resources
Community Resources is a private, nonprofit
organization comprised of local volunteers
representing large and small employers, citizens,
for profit and nonprofit community organizations,
and government. Current members include Lisa
Abel, Tony Armocida, Tony Arnett, Sam Bachtell,
Mark Crockett, Carol Gasho, David Heckler, Ellen
Hoover, Barry Hoskins, Bruce Rickenbach, Jim
Walker, Glenn Watts, and Dan Young.
In 1998, a steering committee for this organization
met and formed the articles of incorporation for a
Community Improvement Corporation, which later
became known as Community Resources.

The basic mission of this group was, and continues
to be, the retention and expansion of business in
the Yellow Springs area. In 2000, at the request of
Village Council, Community Resources produced
an initial study of the commerce park concept. In
2001, Community Resources produced a
commerce park feasibility study in response to
Council’s request; in 2002, the group held a
community meeting to solicit input on the idea of a
commerce park, and by 2003, negotiations for the
acquisition of land began.
In 2004, Community Resources purchased the
Vernay property for the development of the Center
for Business and Education. This purchase was
funded by a grant from the Yellow Springs
Community Foundation and with funds from the
Village’s Economic Development Revolving Loan
Fund (EDRLF). The EDRLF was created from a
federal grant many years ago; it was not created
with local tax dollars. Finally, McGregor School of
Antioch University, after considering many regional
locations for its future needs, decided to become
the first tenant of the new Center for Business and
Education, giving the project a defined timeline for
construction.
Annexation Process
The Center for Business and Education meets the
criteria of the CEDA and the property must now go
through a process to prepare for construction. The
first step is annexation; there are five different
annexation processes that may be used in the
Yellow Springs/Miami Township area, and the one
that fits this parcel is called a Type 1, expedited
process. The property is suited for this type of
annexation process because it meets three criteria:
the property owners want to annex, the Village
wants to annex the property, and the township
agrees to the annexation. Other types of
annexation processes are applied when one or
more of these three conditions are not met.
To complete the annexation process, certain
documents (such as a survey, copy of the CEDA,
etc.) must be filed with Greene County
Commission. Because there is unanimous
agreement on the annexation from all three
affected bodies, the Commission must approve the
annexation. This is based on state law. The
County decision is then passed to Village Council,
which must approve the annexation within 30 days,
unless there is a technical deficiency. Again, this
approval process is based on state law and is
based on agreement from all three affected bodies.
Council then goes back and holds a public hearing
on the formal acceptance of an ordinance
regarding the annexation, before such an
ordinance becomes final.
Zoning Process
During or after the annexation process, Community
Resources will apply for a zoning change to the
property, as it is currently zoned agricultural.
Community Resources is interested in zoning that
will allow for development of an educational facility,
administrative or office businesses, technical or
research facilities, and other commercial
prospects. The group will not seek zoning that is
for residential or retail development, as those are
not included in the CEDA and do not meet the
goals of the Center for Business and Education.
The zoning process involves public participation,
which will be covered more thoroughly in future
public discussions. It also includes review of a site
plan for the property as well as development plans
and schedules. The McGregor School would like
to occupy its new building by January 2007, so the
community should expect to see a lot of activity
with the Center for Business and Education in the
coming months. Construction at the new site is
scheduled to begin in the fall of 2005.
What’s Next?
January 11, 2005 Community Resources public
meeting
Jan-Mar 2005 Annexation process
Feb-May 2005 Zoning process
Apr-Aug 2005 Selection process for developer
September 2005 Construction begins
December 2006 McGregor School construction
complete
January 2007 McGregor School begins
occupancy of new facility
For more information, please contact:

Carol Gasho, President Tony Arnett, President

Community Resources Village Council
Phone: 937-767-2168 Phone: 937-767-1479
Email: cgasho@antioch.com Email: tcarnett@yahoo.com

Dan Young, Vice President Mark Crockett, Trustee

Community Resources Miami Township
Phone: 937-327-9403 Phone: 937-767-7713
Email: danyoung@youngsdairy.com Email: macrockett@aol.com

Don’t forget to attend the community meeting on Tuesday,

January 11, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. in the Bryan Center gym!

Community Resources PRESORTED

P.O. Box 214 STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
Yellow Springs, OH 45387 PAID
PERMIT NO. 20

Yellow Springs Resident