The Downtown Dayton Partnership (DDP) hosted its annual review of progress in the Special Improvement District (SID) at the Grande Hall at Liberty Tower on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Property owners, business leaders, and community partners gathered in the newly renovated Art Deco-inspired event space as DDP staff and guest speakers took to the stage to highlight progress in the urban core.
Highlights from the event included brief presentations from Lisa Wagner, executive director at Levitt Pavilion; Mark Donaghy, chief executive officer of the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority; and Paula Willis, co-owner of Now & Zen DIY Studio, a local retailer in the St. Clair Lofts. Attendees were treated to an education leadership chat with Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School President Dan Meixner and University of Dayton President Dr. Eric Spina. The evening closed with an update from downtown developers David Neal from the Windsor Companies, with the latest news from the Fire Blocks, and Jason Woodard, providing details about projects with his Woodard Development and partners at Crawford Hoying in Columbus. Shannon Isom, president and CEO of the downtown YWCA, moderated the discussion, and had her own updates to share about the $17 building renovation for residents at the women and family shelter.
From this year’s presentation, big numbers came out of the SID:
Public and private-sector investments completed and in the pipeline total about $1.81 billion.
Investments in downtown’s core have been gaining traction since 2010, with more than $700 million in projects completed and in the pipeline.
Downtown enjoys the highest occupancy rate at 97.4% despite the build boom of new housing units, with no plans for slowing down. There are 214 housing units currently under construction. The Fire Blocks apartments will soon welcome their first residents.
In 2019, 36 new businesses opened downtown. That’s a total of 1,400 new jobs in downtown’s core just since the beginning of the current SID period in 2015. First-floor tenancy has been booming with more than 97,000 square feet of vacant first-floor space filled since the launch of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan in 2010.
The evening closed with an update from downtown developers David Neal from the Windsor Companies, with the latest news from the Fire Blocks, and Jason Woodard, providing details about projects with his Woodard Development and partners at Crawford Hoying in Columbus. Shannon Isom, president and CEO of the downtown YWCA, moderated the discussion, and had her own updates to share about the $19 building renovation for residents at the women and family shelter.
