Downtown's Latest Housing Project

It looks like the housing development at the corner of First & Patterson is steps away from becoming reality, and it will be different than anything done in the region so far...

The plan is to build 36 townhomes on what is now a big parking lot on the southwest corner of Patterson and First.  These will apparently be modular construction and will also be LEED certified (between Silver and Gold level).  LiteHouse Development Group (Rogero Buckman are the architects) are a couple weeks away from getting all of their ducks in a row with the city, financing, etc. and they plan to build a single townhome as a model on the corner of Ice Ave and Patterson - possibly in time for Urban Nights in May. 

They will be three-story townhomes similar in scale to the Cooper Place Townhomes.  One of the things I found interesting was that the streets that go through the development will be private property and they are planning to do them with brick paver-type surfaces as opposed to asphalt in order to give it a village feel.  All materials will be long-lasting, environmentally friendly and come from manufacturers that have strong recycling/environmental processes in place (like Shaw that recycle all used carpet into new).  Windows will be placed in a way to maximize light and roofs will include rain-capturing devices that will recycle rain water to irrigate all landscaping.  There was also talk of solar panels.

They must pre-sell at least 40% of a "row" (6-8 or so) in order to complete the whole row of townhomes - there were like 5 or 6 rows on the plan.  So as long as the market is there for these things, they're talking anywhere from 3-6 years for total completion.  Price points will be from $170k for the smallest units (1000sqft) to $230k for the biggest (1800sqft) - depending on how many options the buyer gets.  The buyer will also have the opportunity to upgrade the environmental aspects of the unit.

The other two parcels of land that were originally part of the overall development (adjacent to WorkflowOne garage and adjacent to Lincoln Storage on the other corners of First & Patterson) are not included in this plan but are not off the table - depending on how these sell those other parcels will be revisited.

See pics below (click each to enlarge) and let us know what you think...

Friends to Save Arcade Become Friends of the Dayton Arcade

"Friends to Save the Arcade" has morphed into a soon-to-be 501C3 organization called "Friends of the Dayton Arcade." So . . . what's in the name change?

A 2008 Wish List for Dayton

The week between Christmas and New Years is usually a time for reflection, goal setting, and dreaming. In that spirit, I've put together a 2008 "wish list" for Dayton. Granted, I don't expect many of these things to happen in 2008; but, hey, you gotta start somewhere. Feel free to add to the list.

15-Storey Condo Height Variance Approved

The height variance for the 15-storey condominiums at 15 Central Avenue overlooking the Great Miami and downtown was approved by the Dayton Board of Zoning Appeals on December 11. The hearing was on November 27, but the meeting minutes didn't come online until either yesterday or today. I wonder when we'll hear more about this project?

Arcade Owner Says Bid Is Too Low

The DDN this morning is reporting that Brownfield Charities is not responding to Bob Schiffler's offer to buy the Arcade because the "offer is too low." Now, you've got to ask yourself what kind of "koolaid" is Tony Staub drinking? You would think that an offer, any offer, to get the tax lien off his back and to bring the Arcade back to life would be greeted with hats and horns. After all, Danis gave him the five buildings as a gift to get the "white elephant" off his back. I thought Tony had the best interests of the community at heart, but I guess greed once again rears its ugly head. Hopefully, Bob Schiffler will hang in there and help Tony see reason. What say you?