New Housing for West Dayton’s Wolf Creek Neighborhood

Dayton’s Wolf Creek neighborhood, just across the river from downtown, has historically suffered from disinvestment and a large share of its housing stock was recently found to be in a dilapidated state.

But a variety of new projects are bringing new housing options to this neighborhood that is in easy walking distance of Wright-Dunbar and the West Third Street Business district.

The new housing is being designed to blend in and complement the historic aesthetic of the neighborhood.

City of Dayton Tour Shows Off New West Dayton Housing

On Friday September 5, the City of Dayton hosted a New Housing Walking Tour to give a sneak peek at a variety of projects happening in Wolf Creek.

These included 4 new market-rate homes being built by County Corp, as well as 1 home by G.F. Bailey.

Two homes are side-by-side on Williams Street in between Second and First Streets, while two more are around the block on First.

A separate townhome project by the Montgomery County Land Reutilization Corp is also targeting the stretch of Broadway between First and Second for three buildings, each with three townhomes.

The site is right across the alley from the home above, and next to Edison Elementary School. The new housing also has a goal of “making the Broadway corridor safer for children” attending the school.

New Wolf Creek Home with an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)

The tour also visited a home being constructed by G.F. Bailey, which is on Second Street east of Williams Street.

It will also have an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) behind it, which is a smaller independent unit on the same lot which will be sold along with the main home.

ADUs have been touted across Dayton as a potential solution to the housing affordability crisis, and this property intends to help gauge the market for this type of housing option.

It has the potential for a property owner to rent out the extra unit to help offset the cost of their mortgage, or to house multi-generational family members nearby (they’re often called granny flats or in-law suites).

Some advocates have given them the less sterile and bureaucratic name of “backyard cottages.”

Even though the smaller home is behind the main one, there is still a large side yard that provides a significant amount of outdoor space.

The City of Dayton tour also took a look inside the new townhomes right on West Third, the Townes at Wright Dunbar, which I’ve previously covered here on Dayton Vistas.

Tour guides included representatives from the development groups, who shared that neighbors have been highly supportive of the new housing, which intends to help stabilize the neighborhood where hundreds of homes fell vacant during the Great Recession and mortgage crisis. Many were demolished in 2014 as “nuisance structures” through the Neighborhood Improvement Program, and these projects are providing infill on those vacant lots.

A 2024 housing survey found that “30% of the homes in Wolf Creek needed major repairs or rehab or were in a dilapidated state,” which is among the highest percentages in the city. The 2020 Census found that 625 people lived in the neighborhood.

The new homes are exciting to see in the area, and even more housing options should be joining them soon. A city press release shared that County Corp plans to build 27 new rental homes in the neighborhood which will located on West First, West Second, and North Broadway Streets.

And in addition to the new residences, a project is underway to redesign the Wolf Creek levees, which effectively protect the neighborhood from potential flooding, but “also have created a physical and visual barrier to the waterway.” The project “is about reconnecting West Dayton with its water” and once complete “he Wolf Creek corridor will feel more open, welcoming and safe.”