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I drove into Dayton 3-4 days ago from Chicago on business i.e. investment research. Sadly I see a very tired old city. The downtown is almost run down. A lot of people asking for hand-outs. Streets of empty & decapitated houses in the west side along the salem ave corridor.
Zero new investments. The main 4 star hotel I am staying is like a 2 and half star and the front office told me that the restaurant was closed as the business was slow. I visited some commercial properties & felt that the business was really out and down. Every other property in n.west is vandalised for copper. Some areas in Kettering offers a glimmer but not much in way of anything new.
What is really happening? I am hoping someone can prove me wrong but is Dayton really going backwards.....
Dayton is really hurting, and the loss of all of the local auto and related jobs just drove another nail into the coffin. Some areas are being revitalized and downtown is seeing a resurgence as a living area for empty-nesters and young professional who want an urban vibe. There are some limited successes, however they wouldn't be apparent to someone dropping in for the weekend. The Univ. of Dayton and Miami Valley Hospital are two of the employers that are keeping this area afloat.
What is really happening? I am hoping someone can prove me wrong but is Dayton really going backwards.....
This is a dying city. There are some bright spots in suburbia (quite a bit of growth in certain suburbs, actually), but in general the place is either stagnant or, as you saw, declining.
Since this area was heavily vested in the manufacturing economy the downsizing of manufacturing due to a mix of automation, offshoring, and foreign competition has pretty much flatlined the regional economy. Since there is little else here the place is subsisting on what is left of manufacturing, the medical sector, and defense spending, plus the usual low-wage service economy work.
There are some "lets trash our city" cultural factors at work, too, but in general you are seeing the fallout of economic contraction and stagnation, since there isn't enough money to keep things up, let alone occupied (either residential or commercial/office/industrial use), aside from the select few suburban areas I mentioned.
In my experience, the City of Dayton is being very pro-active to businesses/investors. They encourage & facilitate commerce and are offering as much as co-operation as needed. That's the good part.
The bad part - our hotel's housekeeping lady had a huge tattoo covering her arm. And I jokingly asked about her gang affiliation (ofcourse in a very humourous way) and she laughed and said it was for her late brother who was killed in a robbery shooting. '3 shots' she said 'homicides are common in West Dayton in a matter of fact way'.
Did not think a small city like Dayton would have a big crime problem.
In my experience, the City of Dayton is being very pro-active to businesses/investors. They encourage & facilitate commerce and are offering as much as co-operation as needed. That's the good part.
The bad part - our hotel's housekeeping lady had a huge tattoo covering her arm. And I jokingly asked about her gang affiliation (ofcourse in a very humourous way) and she laughed and said it was for her late brother who was killed in a robbery shooting. '3 shots' she said 'homicides are common in West Dayton in a matter of fact way'.
Did not think a small city like Dayton would have a big crime problem.
Dayton has a very big theft problem and, especially for its size, a lot of murders. Dayton runs 40-50 homicides a year, mostly on the west side of Dayton and mostly drug or robbery related.
I'm all for cheerleading, but this thread brings up some good points. There are decent areas of the Dayton metro, as well as parts of Dayton itself, just not as many as the crummy areas. Places that come to mind are downtown centered around the two theaters plus Fifth Third Field. Other places close in doing moderately well would be the Oregon District and areas of South Dayton proper due in part to MVH and UD.
With a few exceptions (West Carrolton/Moraine, Trotwood, parts of Huber, parts of Fairborn, and a handful of areas in Kettering), the suburbs are doing well. Kettering does have some decent areas (more than those that are not). The one corridor that is hurting is Wilmington Pike. Otherwise, Kettering is not doing all that bad.
Certain suburbs have seen a number of new developments, especially around the base. You attract a lot of "outside the gate" business when you are home to the HQ for the purchasing arm of the USAF. That does not include the employees doing work "inside the fence." Air Force Research Labs HQ comes to mind. I've heard, and agree with, that jobs in Dayton are either Meds, Feds, or Eds. And yes, the service industry can be added to that list.
This has brought to my attention something I have noticed recently. It's all in the money. As money has left Dayton, especially middle class money, what is left is rather hollow. There is no stable tax base, residential or commercial. Schools are hurting, both financially and performance wise. If Dayton had a school like Walnut Hills in Cincinnati, then I bet Dayton would have more bright pockets.
There are a number of reasons for this besides manufacturing jobs leaving, though that is certainly a major point. Unless residents start investing and redeveloping homes in pockets of Dayton (think some of the revitalization efforts going on down south in Cincinnati), there is little hope for Dayton outside the CBD or UD corridor or entertainment districts like Oregon. It would take much longer than a decade to sort out much of West Dayton. Even then, where would the residents currently there be displaced too? As much as we try not to remember, gentrification and redevelopment usually does not equal better opportunities for current residents.
Unless residents start investing and redeveloping homes in pockets of Dayton (think some of the revitalization efforts going on down south in Cincinnati), there is little hope for Dayton outside the CBD or UD corridor or entertainment districts like Oregon.
....what's interesting in Dayton is to see restoration areas sort of fail and stall. This usually doesnt happen where things like this start up. It seems that this is actually contracting in Dayton. Best example of a failing restoration area is Hufffman, where houses that once were restored and upgraded are sitting vacant and deteriorating.
There is probably only one area that seems to be "solid" in terms of an ongoing restoration and urban revitalization effort and that is South Park. So far I'd say Oregon and McPhersontown are the only 90%-100% sucesses stories...perhaps that area btw MVH and UD, too. All these are sort of pockets or islands, with various barriers and boundaries that seperate them from the increasing slumminess and abandonment that characterizes the city.
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In my experience, the City of Dayton is being very pro-active to businesses/investors. They encourage & facilitate commerce and are offering as much as co-operation as needed. That's the good part.
This is good news since there has been ongoing critiques in the past on how inept city government has been when it comes to economic development. Perhaps the critiques have been taken to heart & they have improved their approach. That is good news because the city cant afford to alienated potential investors.
Very valid points. The commercial space in Dayton is cheapest anywhere in America. From $2 per sqft (triple nett) per year you could virtually rent anything from a University sized building to a corner barber shop. This is because of the 38% vacancy that is being faced by this sector currently. And this problem is so acute in Dayton.
If America is facing a recession, dayton is facing a depression.
Not sure why. Especially when Dayton-Cincinatti corridor has a lot of smart people - graduates, engineers, doctors & other professional.
But on the other hand I think it cannot go any worse for Dayton.
The silver lining is hopefully around the corner.
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