Young Professional in Dayton - Where to Live and What to Do? (Columbus: crime rate, homes)

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

I have not been to Dayton in almost 2 years. Are there any big urban redevelopment plans there? Any emerging urban hoods outside the typical UD, Oregon, etc?

Nope. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Nothing of any significance has occurred in Dayton to reverse it's downward spiral.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

Nope. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Nothing of any significance has occurred in Dayton to reverse it's downward spiral.

It's weird...it is almost like people there want it to die. Anywho, I think the OP should strongly consider Louisville. If there are spirals, it is on the way up.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

It's weird...it is almost like people there want it to die. Anywho, I think the OP should strongly consider Louisville. If there are spirals, it is on the way up.

There are efforts under-way to organize a non-profit similar to 3CDC in Cincinnati. It's gaining traction amongst local power players, but nothing has really gotten off the ground at this point. Though, there is gathering momentum.

Development plan being considered

This article discusses things in more detail. I am a part of this group and get several communications each month reporting progress, etc. As a former Dayton resident and property owner, I am cautiously optimistic. But don't get me wrong, it's still very much in it's embryonic stages. Thus, my candid response earleir.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

There are efforts under-way to organize a non-profit similar to 3CDC in Cincinnati. It's gaining traction amongst local power players, but nothing has really gotten off the ground at this point. Though, there is gathering momentum.

Development plan being considered

This article discusses things in more detail. I am a part of this group and get several communications each month reporting progress, etc. As a former Dayton resident and property owner, I am cautiously optimistic. But don't get me wrong, it's still very much in it's embryonic stages. Thus, my candid response earleir.

Wow. That plan is scary. Dayton is actually one of the deadest downtowns I have ever seen. Tear down old office buildings for....surface parking? Are they serious? Is this 1963 or 2013? Even the leaders themselves look to have dated ties and suits. I now believe your earlier comment

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

I now believe your earlier comment

Yep.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

To get a "City-Data" opinion and feedback on Louisville Life, please surf over to this excellent sub-forum

haha of course. I've browsed through threads there before. I would start one, but I see little point as I'm a few months off from the final internship search.

All the Louisville info from everyone is much appreciated though!

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Wow. That plan is scary. Dayton is actually one of the deadest downtowns I have ever seen. Tear down old office buildings for....surface parking? Are they serious? Is this 1963 or 2013? Even the leaders themselves look to have dated ties and suits. I now believe your earlier comment

As with every Downtown Dayton plan, that was the "new flavor of the week" in early 2012. I think right now it's kind of dead in the water.

One thing Dayton has to its advantage is its lack of momentum. People don't take action, so nothing ever happens. Although this means a lot of good initiatives aren't happening, a lot of bad initiatives aren't happening either, like tearing down a bunch of office buildings to make way for surface parking. (to the creator of this proposal: how stupid can you get?)

This comes on the heels of other past initiatives such as Ballpark Village (which the city is still hoping will happen), revitalization of Wright-Dunbar, Santa Clara and Huffman neighborhoods, tech/tool town, etc. Almost all city initiatives do not pan out.


The best initiatives, like in Cincinnati, come from private industry. We just don't have any F500's to power them.

Here are some examples of what is happening now Downtown:
- Caresource helped downtown a ton (especially north of Third) when they built their new tower here. Now they are leasing more space: CareSource employees occupy new downtown office space, more... | www.daytondailynews.com

- Miami Valley Hospital and the University of Dayton have been leading the way with the revitalization of South Park and the area south of downtown in general:
http://www.cityofdayton.org/PressRel...ighborhood.pdf
GE Aviation Breaks Ground for New $51 Million Research & Development Center in Ohio's Aerospace Hub | Press Release

- Sinclair Community College will be helping out the southwest corridor of downtown and Wright-Dunbar if they ever implement their master plan (I think they will since they have the capital and prestige to do it): Sinclair to develop master plan for Dayton campus | www.daytondailynews.com

- Private developers, such as Charlie Simms, are taking note of downtown Dayton housing demand and building new units or converting existing buildings downtown. Tax credits sweeten the deal. Simms plans new downtown development | www.daytondailynews.com
Housing proposal could boost Sinclair | www.mydaytondailynews.com



However, I am a fan of the current Downtown Dayton Partnership's proposal. It's the plan which is now being supported by private industry and the City of Dayton, in conjunction with its Dayton Patented campaign. A lot of the proposal includes converting downtown office space to housing. The basics of it are at the link:
http://www.downtown-dayton.com/plan/...s_detailed.pdf

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Wow. That plan is scary. Dayton is actually one of the deadest downtowns I have ever seen. Tear down old office buildings for....surface parking? Are they serious? Is this 1963 or 2013? Even the leaders themselves look to have dated ties and suits. I now believe your earlier comment

It's an idea that has been trumpeted for the past couple of years by a local activist, and his reasoning is here:
MADE in DAYTON blog: How to Save Dayton - Part 2

The higher the vacancy rate downtown, the less likely to attract any business in the future. I agree housing may be a good option, if there is interest.

[ohio_peasant]

I wonder what would happen if Dayton lowered their local income tax, to become competitive with other local jurisdictions (or even lower). I'd seriously consider buying a bungalow in the UD area, or maybe north Dayton, as I'm a single guy without dependents, and crime-statistics don't particularly concern me. Ultimately it's the taxes that pushed me into a rural township southeast of Dayton.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by ohio_peasant

I wonder what would happen if Dayton lowered their local income tax, to become competitive with other local jurisdictions (or even lower). I'd seriously consider buying a bungalow in the UD area, or maybe north Dayton, as I'm a single guy without dependents, and crime-statistics don't particularly concern me. Ultimately it's the taxes that pushed me into a rural township southeast of Dayton.

I think (seems it was before my time) it was instituted for "more advanced" city services such as garbage collection. There has been many a report of people from suburban communities (Kettering, Harrison township, you name it) living near the Dayton corporation line hiking across said line to deposit their trash in the city containers because they didn't want to pay for the service directly. It might be "only" $5 a week, but that is $260 a year....