Tuesday 5 July 2022 05:21 PM Dave Chappelle is spotted in Yellow Springs, Ohio after blocking housing ... trends now
Casually strolling around the quaint main street of his historic home village of Yellow Springs, Ohio, it's clear Dave Chappelle is a man in his element.
And the comedian has a new reason to feel particularly content, DailyMail.com can reveal.
The celebrity, who is worth $50million, has now permanently blocked a proposed 140-home development on his doorstep – and it's understood he has paid an undisclosed sum to buy the entire 52-acre site.
Just days ago it was believed Chappelle had purchased only 19 acres directly abutting his palatial mansion just outside Yellow Springs, where he grew up.
But village manager Josue Salmeron revealed to DailyMail.com: 'I have confirmation that Dave Chappelle bought the entire lot. We are talking about all the 52 acres.
'To me it is clear, the project isn't going forward. The developers will not be building on that land.'
Dave Chappelle was spotted out and about this week in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where he has been fighting against a proposed property development
Dressed in a black and gray top advertising a Memphis restaurant and black shorts – and clutching an iced drink – on Wednesday Chappelle smiled broadly and was genial
DailyMail.com visited the small Ohio community of 3,700, where it is evident the comedian is a beloved figure and friend among all residents
Chappelle's move has also delighted many in the village, particularly those living near the proposed development which would have brought at least 400 new people into a community of 3,700.
Signs proclaiming 'Thanks Dave!' now festoon several properties near the site, which is comprised of a large open field and acres of woodland in an area that could be comfortably described as pastoral bliss.
Similar signs adorn businesses on Yellow Springs' main shopping thoroughfare of Xenia Avenue, which is lined with quirky individual stores occupying red brick buildings with wooden shop fronts, many painted in soothing pastel shades.
Business owners told DailyMail.com they also serve to thank the celebrity for helping the village – which has a distinct elderly hippy bohemian vibe – with a series of cash-boosting star-packed comedy shows when the Covid-19 pandemic brought things to a standstill.
Now the village, 20 miles east of Dayton, is bustling once more with people walking dogs, others carrying takeout coffees and talking animatedly, and some walking barefoot and wearing blankets.
The main drag is buzzing with activity. There is a theatre, a toy shop, a fancy used book store, a flower shop, cozy diners, an 'imports' store, a wooden arcade offering several different businesses, and the elegant white clapboard Mills Park Hotel.
However, the collapse of the housing project has nonetheless dismayed Salmeron who believes the development would have helped Yellow Springs' 'housing problem' – plus given the village a massive payday through property taxes.
Chappelle has now bought 52 acres of land for an undisclosed sum in the small Ohio village of Yellow Springs where he lives and plans to build his own restaurant and comedy venue
Dave Chappell's home in Yellow Spring, Ohio where he is reported to have bought 52 acres of land adjacent to his property to stop a new housing development
Earlier reports claimed the celebrity had purchased only 19 acres of land directly butting onto his palatial mansion just outside Yellow Springs, where he grew up
It's understood he has now bought the entire 52-acre site, canceling plans for the project completely
A rendering of the model neighborhood proposed by Oberer Land Developers for Yellow Springs. Oberer had planned to build 140 single family homes on the site, which some locals believed would encroach on the village's culture
The new development would have potentially reached the border of Chappelle's property, according to zoning plans. The comedian has now purchased the southern portion of this land
'We are becoming an exclusive community. That is not a good thing,' he said.
DailyMail.com caught up with Chappelle, 48, as he exited Emporium Wines on Xenia Avenue, a business that is part liquor store, part bakery.
The comic was asked about his long-fought opposition to the housing plan by local company Oberer Land Developers.
Clutching an iced drink while dressed in black shorts and a black and gray top advertising a Memphis restaurant, he smiled broadly and was genial.
But he would only say: 'Ah, I'd rather not talk about that. I'm just out and about in the village, I've really nothing to say.'
It's clear the comedy legend, who fought the development plans because he said they were out of keeping for the village, is among friends and good company when he makes his daily visits to grab a coffee and other essentials when he's at home.
Driving a $150,000 red Mercedes G Wagon on Tuesday, Chappelle parked and dropped into Dino's Cappuccinos for a drink, then headed to Current Cuisine deli to order a sandwich.
While he was waiting he sat outside on his phone before shooting the breeze with locals.
The next day, he went to the only supermarket in town, Tom's, before getting a cold drink from Dino's Cappuccinos and strolling along the street shaking people's hands – later being greeted by a woman who shouted: 'We love you Dave.'
Certainly her sentiment is not out of place.
Walking around the neighborhood, it is clear Chappelle is an adored figure in Yellow Springs, where he lives with wife Elaine and where his father William was an active civil rights organizer and music professor at local Antioch College.
Dino Pallotta, owner of Dino's Cappuccinos where Chappelle is a regular, applauded his celebrity customer for defending the village's culture
Yellow Springs' main shopping thoroughfare, Xenia Avenue, is lined with quirky individual stores occupying red brick buildings with wooden shop fronts, many painted in soothing pastel shades
Chappelle's efforts to block the housing project have pleased many residents who are now showing their gratitude by erecting lawn signs reading 'Thanks Dave!' on their property
A Thanks Dave sign in Yellow Springs, Ohio
On Thursday, when DailyMail.com spoke to the comic, he was driven in from his expansive home set amid rolling fields by a female assistant at the wheel of a white people carrier.
Almost constantly on his phone, he also strolled up to the village's former Union Schoolhouse, which he is in the process of turning into a base for Ohio's WYSO National Public Radio affiliate.
And that is just one of the projects Chappelle is throwing money at in a bid to revitalize a village, his representative told us, that he believes is in desperate need of vibrant younger people.
One of the others is his plan to convert a former firehouse into a restaurant and comedy club. It was this investment that he threatened to pull at a local council meeting in February when he spoke out against the housing development.
Developers Oberer originally wanted to build all single family homes and the February meeting was to consider including duplex properties and some affordable housing. The proposal, however, was rejected.
The canceled project comes to the dismay of village manager Josue Salmeron who believes it would've helped the village's 'housing problem'
That was after Chappelle, whose own company is called Iron Table Holdings, expressed his opposition to the plan at a village council meeting, threatening to take his businesses from the area.
'I cannot believe you would make me audition for you. You look like clowns. I am not bluffing. I will take it all off the table,' he said.
At a meeting two months earlier, he said: 'I have invested millions of dollars in this town. If you push this thing through, what I'm investing is in no longer applicable.'
Later he made clear he was not against the social housing element proposed in February, although he did not go into more detail.
The duplexes would have sold for around
