Share the Road . . . With Sharrows!

I've been giving some thought to bicycling in urban traffic. I just completed the excellent StreetSmarts Road One course offered by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), and it gave me a different perspective on the various options being discussed in urban planning and bicycling circles. In addition to expanding the terrific web of recreational trails we have in this area, there is serious discussion about adding bike lanes downtown as well as considering the installation of "Complete Streets" throughout the urban core. It's good that this discussion is finally taking place in earnest, but we need to be careful what we wish for. Bike lanes, for example, if not properly engineered could be more dangerous than not having them at all. Complete Streets can be expensive and may not be appropriate in all circumstances. Another alternative, less costly and more in tune with treating bikers as vehicle drivers and not as pedestrians, is the concept of "sharrows."

What Kind of Retail for Ballpark Village?

Well, it appears planning for Ballpark Village continues. See this morning's DDN article. Another study is in the works, and the question now is what kind of retail should go into the two waterfront development sites: Ballpark Village and the former Parkside home sites?

Become a "Street Smart" Urban Cyclist!

You may not be thinking of cycling just yet, but Spring will be here before you know it. For those of you who enjoy bicycling in the urban environment as well as on the trails, the following course might be of interest to you. This is a course on urban bike riding offered by two "League of American Bicyclists"-certified instructors to be held at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, 16 S. Williams St., on two Saturdays, April 5 and 12.

Lori Turner Pulls Out of Dayton's Branding Campaign

Very interesting turn of events reported by the DDN today. Lori Turner has written to the DDC that her firm will pull out of the Dayton branding campaign because it has "caused a distraction" to the work of promoting Dayton and bringing jobs here. Apparently, Turner Effect hasn't been paid (yet). According to Turner, her professional services have come thus far to $80,000. The other question is what impact will this have on "Get Midwest?"  I doubt if DDC will go back to the drawing board, but will another marketing firm be hired to implement a program that isn't theirs and which seems to be pretty unpopular.

Dayton City's Updated Website

Looks like everyone is updating their websites. In addition to the Downtown Dayton Partnership's new and improved site, City Hall has updated theirs as well. Check it out.

A Little Info on the Two Michaels

In case you were wondering who the movers are behind the new Oregon Art District project, here’s a little bit of information concerning them.

Dr. Michael E. Ervin was previously CEO and Chairman of Wright Health Associates. He has always maintained an interest in Dayton and has served as Chairman of the Board of the United Way and Co-Chair of the Downtown Dayton Partnership. I’m not sure if he is still involved in this, but he was/is chair of the investment committee of the UD board of trustees and has been involved in the university’s Center for Portfolio Management, nationally known for allowing finance students to manage a portfolio of funds in an environment that simulates Wall Street. He also was involved in the pre-hire interview of Dayton’s new police chief, Richard Biehl.

Michael Elsass is a nationally known artist whose gallery, at least presently, is on Front Street. You can learn more about him at his website http://www.mikeelsass.com/.

If anyone else would like to add something to these short bios, feel free.

Check Out the New DDP Website

The new Downtown Dayton Partnership website is up and running with some pretty cool stuff. Check it out.

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.

Light Rail in Norfolk VA

Norfolk, Virginia (population approximately 234,000) is going light rail, and the attached article may  have some lessons for Dayton. Thanks to "noozer" at UrbanOhio for providing the info!

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?

What Is Going On with Ballpark Village?

The Dayton Business Journal today has two articles dealing with economic development in this region. One on the front page discusses ongoing questions about the feasibility of Ballpark Village. Another article on the third page talks about a firm headed by Dave Lightle interested in developing an aviation and space indoor theme park in the Dayton region. One prospect is Riverside, home of the Air Force Museum; another is downtown Dayton. There is no mention of Ballpark Village in this article. Nor is there mention of an anchor attraction in the article for Ballpark Village. What is wrong with this picture?

Is the Trolley Idea Gaining Traction?

There are two items on the DDN opinion page concerning the construction of a trolley system in the urban center connecting Dayton's historic sites and amenities. Obviously, this isn't something new. There have been several studies done, but nothing has come of them as yet. Money is always a challenge; i.e., is it the best place to put the scarce development/transportation funds the region has?

A growing answer to that question could be "yes." Perhaps investment in infrastructure connecting what we already have would be better use of funds than building another attraction. There are some examples around the country showing that economic development follows these kinds of projects.

RTA is downplaying the "Historic Trolley" proposal of 16 miles and suggests a minimalist approach, starting with a three-mile line connecting UD with downtown via the Oregon District. If that proves successful, add additional trackage to Carillon, Wright-Dunbar, etc. There's to be a meeting on the subject at the Dayton Convention Center on Thursday, at 2:30 pm.

Laws of Urban Energy

There's an excellent article linked to Richard Florida's website called "The Laws of Urban Energy," written by Anya Kamenetz in Psychology Today. It points out that geography and location do make a difference when it comes to creativity and inspiration. Urban locations, both big and small, have this advantage even in the age of teleconferencing and . . . yes, even blogging. Check it out.

Progress on Saving the Arcade

Jeff at Daytonology and the DDN report on a new plan being advocated by Dayton developers for reusing the Arcade complex. This particular plan, first briefed on October 21 by Bob Shiffler and David Bohardt, holds great promise.

UPDATE 11/06/07: I just found out from Susan Gruenberg, the person who honchoed the Urban Nights event at the Arcade on September 15, that the Arcade rotunda will again be open for public tours the evening of the Grande Illumination, Friday, November 23. More information to come!

RFID Jobs Coming to Dayton

A DDN article on the web today reports that the City of Dayton has committed (some would say "invested") $1.4 million with CityWide Development who will use the funds as "seed money" over four years to create the Dayton RFID Incubator Corp., to be called DRIC. DRIC is expected to create 100 jobs with an average annual salary of $80,000 over three years. It will be located in the Creative Technology Accelerator in Dayton's Tech Town business park.

Is It Time for Rail in Ohio?

In a previous post, I mentioned a Cincinnati Enquirer editorial which brought up the need for a light rail connection between Dayton and Cincinnati. The subject of resurrecting a standard rail system in Ohio has been bantered about for a long time, but the estimated cost ($3.8 billion) and other concerns have always kept the idea on the backburner. The concept, apparently, is gaining new life with the Strickland administration which is tying alternative forms of transportation with its broader energy plan and ideas for economic development in the state.

Complete the Streets

From this . . .

To this . . .

What's wrong with this picture?  No people . . . no alternative forms of transportation . . . just cars and concrete. I'm not saying we should go back to the horse and buggy, but it's time the people of Dayton reclaim their city streets and their community. How can we do that? Kirkland, Washington seems to have the right idea, as described by the following AARP article.

UPDATE SEP 25: See Richard Florida's post showing how complete streets are to be instituted in NYC. It's just not for the burbs. Imagine the same thing happening in Dayton!