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...

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?

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?

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?

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.

Get Urban - What is next?

This past Thursday night we held the Get Urban Miami Valley event that we've been promoting here for the past couple months and it was a huge success!  We had over 200 people register and a total of around 230 in attendance.  The room at the Webster Street Market (a perfect venue for this sort of thing) was buzzing with many current urbanites and urban-curious folks who were there to hear more about why anybody would actually CHOOSE to live in the City of Dayton over the burbs.  Our featured speaker Kyle Ezell gave a great presentation on what it means to "get urban" and he gave most of us a lot to think about in terms of changing a culture that for decades has valued suburb and exurb living over an urban existence.

Deeds Park Riverfront Housing is a GO...

As expected, the Miami Conservancy District has lifted the tight use restrictions on the land that makes up Deeds Park.  It should be noted that the proposed housing development will NOT include or affect the existing park space and bike paths - which are maintained (and owned?) by Five Rivers Metroparks.  Only the area across the street where there is currently a big ugly unused parking lot and baseball diamond (that isn't needed since we have Kettering Fields just next door) will be developed. 

It is my opinion that this is a good move as it is redeveloping an area that could and should be prime real estate but is now empty.  With Deeds Point (one of the most meticulously landscaped and beautiful vantage points in the region), immediate access to the largest bike trail system in the region, a spectacular river and city skyline view, a potential retail/dining/entertainment district just across the Mad River, and easy access to I75 - this COULD be the most sought-after residential real estate in the region.  Not to mention that with another influx of downtown residents brings more probability of downtown amenities like a grocery store.

Dayton Daily News
Link: Board amends Deeds Park development agreement.

The Miami Conservancy District board of directors Thursday announced that they had unanimously agreed to amend a deed to allow riverfront housing on 12 acres of land at Deeds Park.

Special Event...

Date: October 4th, 2007
Time: 5:30-7:30pm
Place: Webster Street Market (Top of the Market)

This event is for you if you:
... have considered leaving the burbs for a downtown loft condo or a historic district house
... already live in an urban neighborhood and want to meet others that do or are thinking about it
... want to hear about the joys of "living urban!

CLICK HERE to find out more....

 

Are you ready to "Get Urban"?

Those of us who live in urban neighborhoods by choice do so because we enjoy the lifestyle.  We enjoy the fact that we can walk to many places as opposed to having to drive everywhere.  We enjoy the history of the buildings and architecture that surround us.  We enjoy the energy and the constant traffic (people and even cars) that goes by just outside our windows.  And we enjoy living in diverse communities where we are close friends with many of our neighbors who also share our passion for urban living.  Though I understand that urban living is not for everybody, I do think that more people would be open to the idea if they knew what it was like and knew what it was that attracts so many of us to it despite the challenges.  Or better yet, if somebody were to somehow teach them how to actually "live urban".  Hmm, if only there were somebody we could find that could speak to some of these people...

Well, we may have found that somebody - and we didn't have to go any further than Columbus!  Kyle Ezell is the founder of Get Urban, Ltd. and is so passionate about city living that he has written two books on the subject:   
Get Urban! The Complete Guide to City Living
and
Retire Downtown: The Lifestyle Destination for Active Retirees and Empty Nesters. 

Kyle is a certified city planner, instructor of downtown housing at Ohio State University, and since 2005 has been a keynote speaker on the topic of urban living in cities all over the country - including San Francisco, Chicago, Columbus and more.  He has organized "Ruppie" parties to help attract active suburban empty nesters to downtown neighborhoods (we have several Ruppies here in Downtown Dayton).  And he has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Cool Town Studios, Columbus RetroMetro and yes - here on MostMetro.com.

So why am I telling you about Kyle and Get Urban?  It could be because he seems to understand the potential we have right here in Dayton ("... When complete, Downtown Dayton could become one of America's chicest Postindustrial Urbs.  Life here, even in the often-bypassed city of Dayton, Ohio, will be hard for any urbanite to resist." - Get Urban! The Complete Guide to City Living).  Or maybe somebody is planning a Get Urban event...

Yes, details are coming soon...