I recently released a new Dayton Vistas podcast episode and video focused on several major projects taking shape near the urban core, along with some of the history that helps explain why these areas matter today.
This episode covers new housing, office, and commercial development in and around the former fairgrounds site, South Park, Midtown, and Wright-Dunbar. It also looks at how past decisions involving highways, clearance, and neighborhood change continue to shape Dayton in the present.
You can watch or listen below:
Projects and Topics Covered
Dayton Fairgrounds / OnMain Redevelopment
The largest active redevelopment site in Dayton continues to take shape at the former Montgomery County Fairgrounds. I discuss the OnMain project, the Innovation Hub, the Roundhouse, and broader questions about connectivity to downtown, the University of Dayton, and nearby neighborhoods.
Read my Fairgrounds/OnMain Article
The Flats at South Park
New townhomes at the Flats at South Park development, which has already brought in two large apartment buildings on Warren Street, are bringing infill housing to a site shaped by multiple earlier waves of change.
I also explore how Brown Street once connected continuously to the Oregon District before the construction of US-35 and other later changes altered the area.
This section also includes the story of Martin Sheen’s childhood connection to the area and a lost theater building.
Read related history articles:
History of Old and New Brown Street, Split Up by a Freeway
The Todd Art (Sigma) Theater and a Lost Brown Street Business District
Wright-Dunbar Redevelopment Projects
Wright-Dunbar has seen steady momentum in recent years, and this episode looks at several sites including the Cornerstone project, and proposals for the site surrounding the Zion Baptist Church and dig into the adaptive reuse proposal for the former West Side Chevy Building.
Why These Projects Matter
These sites reflect larger themes that come up often in Dayton’s story: housing, historic preservation, walkability, reuse of major vacant properties, and how distinct districts can better connect and reinforce one another.
Many of the city’s biggest opportunities today are not limited to downtown, but in the neighborhoods and corridors surrounding it.
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