According to his rep, comedian Dave Chappelle did not oppose affordable housing in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio, reports Yahoo Entertainment.
After the video went viral of Chappelle vehemently opposing zoning changes during a community meeting, a spokesperson from his camp addressed the comedian's issue with the community’s plans for development.
Dave Chappelle personally came to a city council meeting and threatened to remove his $65m dollars of investments from his city if they allowed a developer to move forward with an affordable housing program. The objection wasn't to the build, but the affordable housing component. https://t.co/3ahCy1KqmN pic.twitter.com/l8MTxhhlJ7
— grimm (@ExileGrimm) February 9, 2022
"Dave Chappelle didn't kill affordable housing,” the spokesperson told Yahoo Entertainment. “Concerned residents and a responding Village Council 'killed' a half-baked plan which never actually offered affordable housing. Without question, Dave Chappelle cares about Yellow Springs. He's sewn into the fabric of the Village. The passion with which he delivered his comments during the Village Council meeting was just as evident as when he fought to create living-wage jobs with his famed 'Summer Camp' for residents during the height of the COVID pandemic.”
“The whole development deal, cloaked as an affordable housing plan, is anything but affordable,” the rep continued.”Three out of 143 lots would have been for 'future' affordable housing. The rest of the homes were to be priced between $250K and upwards of $600K. In Yellow Springs, and in many other places, that is not considered affordable housing. Instead, it's an accelerant on the homogenization of Yellow Springs.”
As EBONY previously reported, Chappelle came out against the town’s zoning ordinance that would have made the way for affordable housing and threatened to pull his business ventures “off the table.”
“If you push this thing through, what I’m investing in is no longer applicable,” he said.
During Monday’s meeting, which was posted to the Yellow Springs Community Access YouTube page, Chappelle asked the council why they would pursue the housing plan while kicking out a $65 million-a-year company.
“I cannot believe you would make me audition for you,” he said. “You look like clowns,” Chappelle said Monday. “I am not bluffing. I will take it all off the table.”
Chappelle plans to open a restaurant called "Firehouse Eatery" and a comedy club called "Live from YS” in Yellow Springs.
