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Archives for September 2007

Deeds Park Riverfront Housing is a GO…

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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.

New Montesori School, and one step closer to Ballpark Village

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We’ve recently learned that the Dayton School Board has selected the area on the north banks of the Great Miami
River directly across from RiverScape as the new location for the city’s latest Montessori
school.  Though the exact details are not known at this time, it appears that this latest development will allow for the city to acquire the Patterson Career Academy property – the original location that the school board had slated for this new Montessori school and one of the three main properties that must be acquired by the city to make room for Ballpark Village.

It will be interesting to see if this means that the Miami Apartments will be demolished or rehabbed (though it could be a beautiful building, my money is on demolish), and if the rest of that small riverfront neighborhood will be brought back from the dead.  There are several dilapidated properties there that should be torn down, yet ironically there is one fairly new and modern house that was designed by Rogero Buckman that sits directly across the street from the former Rockwells.  And speaking of Rockwells – what will become of that stunning property?  (please not another ill-conceived high-priced steak joint!)

With the acquisition of the Woolpert building having been secured by the city, all that is left is the blessing of the Miami Conservancy District on the development of the Deeds Point area for housing, and to find a new home for Requarth Lumber.  And my last conversation with the president of that company leads me to believe that this is all very close to becoming reality.