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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > August > 22 > Entry
Editorial: Austin exit built, now comes the hard part
The Austin Road interchange had a long history even before the day it officially opened last week. Meanwhile, its future is far from written.
Dayton’s first new interchange in decades has been talked about literally for decades. Before prominent office parks, corporate headquarters and hospitals were clustering on the I-75 corridor between southern Montgomery County and northern Hamilton County, some local leaders understood that the Austin Pike area was primo real estate.
It has highway visibility; it is a greenfield; it is close to places that were, or could be, idyllic bedroom communities; and it is within a manageable drive of workers who are scattered from the Kentucky border to Miami County.
Still, it has taken years to build the $20-million-plus exit that Montgomery County believes can compete with developments like Union Centre and Liberty Way and that simultaneously is the antidote to the maddening congestion in the Dayton Mall area.
To get to this day, a special entity — the Montgomery County Transportation Improvement District — had to be created as a work-around to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission. It was long opposed to the exit and, at other times, unable to push the levers to get the necessary blessings or money.
So, yes, a celebration is called for. But to think of the completion — which did come in ahead of the actual construction schedule — as a fine hour is to forget the myriad stops and starts.
The next phase will be even more difficult. Though planners say that in the next 10 to 20 years, the development could be home to 28,000 workers, that is predicated on recruiting a bunch of businesses. (Does anyone know where people get these numbers and how they can talk confidently about a timeline that is so far out and that has a built-in, decade-long fudge factor?)
Under the best of circumstances, attracting that number of jobs will take time. And we’re not living in the best of circumstances.
Of course, it’s significant that Teradata, the NCR spinoff, has located at the interchange and has signed a long-term lease. Yes, it’s important that Motoman Robotics will be locating there and wants to expand. Both of those firms could have gone outside Montgomery County or outside of Ohio.
But they are not new businesses to the region, and, given the tens of millions of federal, state and local government dollars that have gone into the entire project (not just the interchange), the real measure of success will be how many truly new businesses are brought in. If jobs just move from one local spot to another, there’s no net gain.
RG Properties, the developer that owns or controls most of the land around the interchange, is a local company. People who’ve worked on the Austin project are quick to say that Dayton is fortunate to have a local person involved. They say Randy Gunlock is a “patient” developer, intent on building something that adds more to the communtiy than the jobs associated with a gas station or an economy hotel.
How long he’ll be patient remains to be seen. The recession has set back his plans, and he’s scaled down his expectations more than once. Initially, the goal was to attract a top-drawer hotel and build a mega-office complex. Then he floated the concept of an entertainment complex with a hockey arena. Neither proposal worked out.
Mr. Gunlock and the Montgomery County officials who have rustled up the money to make the interchange a reality are in this venture together. They both need it to be successful, and success will be defined by the quality of the development and the number of genuinely new jobs that are on the grounds in five and 10 years.
But there’s something important that differentiates Mr. Gunlock and the governments that put up the money. The investment Mr. Gunlock has made is his own. He’s not just a custodian of somebody else’s cash.
That financial pressure can help Montgomery County it its efforts to land new jobs, because it has a supremely motivated partner. But, at the same time, Mr. Gunlock will want to see that he’s not totally on his own in identifying and wooing the sorts of companies that all parties adamantly say they’re holding out for.
Permalink | Comments (18) | Post your comment | Categories: Economy, Editorials, Ellen Belcher
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By David Esrati
August 22, 2010 7:50 AM | Link to this
I’m not sure where you get the $20 Million plus number- it’s more like $75 million. On top of that- you fail to mention that these new jobs will be in an township with no personal income tax- which works as an incentive to pull jobs out of downtown, where we have MANY exits- and perfectly good buildings and already had utilities and services. How much will this cost Montgomery County- to extend sheriff’s patrols, EMS, fire- etc- and where will the money come from? Most of the taxes are going right back into the development thanks to the TID. What we have is crony capitalism to the nth degree here. The taxpayers are taking the risk out- and providing a nice clean canvass for Mr. Gunlock. Much easier than dealing with the “Inspector Gotcha” mentality in the municipalities- and dealing with restrictive codes for rehab or reuse. We’re writing off our central city and destroying valuable farm land- all to push people into one-passenger cars to drive to work. There isn’t a single good thing about this exchange - unless you are Gunlock, a construction company, office furnishing company, or live South and work at LexisNexis etc- in the area that was first done to escape downtown. Bad planning, bad foresight and bad governing gives us a bad investment. And- the same exact thing is happening in Beavercreek along I-675. Yet, Dayton (the region) has been in a zero population gain state for years. None of this makes sense- especially when our local governments are all going broke.
By Crony Capitalist
August 22, 2010 9:07 AM | Link to this
Dayton’s success wasn’t originally created by crony capitalists? Orville & Wilbur, Deeds, Kettering, Patterson ect were in it due to altruism? Mr. Esrati makes some points, but when an area (Dayton) has failed in various ways, and attempts to correct the failure are failing and continue to fail, I’ll invest my money in an area that shows promise of a return on investment, now, and in the future. Capitalism is simple economics, emphasis on simple. The Austin Pike area will flourish, and Mr. Esrati is annoyed because he’s floundering in/on his sinking Dayton boat. Envy is gonna’ get ya’, David.
By Jim from Dayton
August 22, 2010 9:25 AM | Link to this
Mr. Esrati took the words right out of my mouth. By building this interchange, Montgomery County has demonstrated, once and for all, that is has written off Dayton’s city center. The County (and Dayton’s city administration!) is doing the same thing by concentrating much of the regional homeless population within Dayton’s city limits. By doing so, they will destroy what is left of Dayton’s middle class neighborhoods and gut the tax base once and for all. The results for Dayton and the region will be catastrophic.
By bobby
August 22, 2010 9:34 AM | Link to this
One can be a “patient” developer when county government provides off-site storm water detention systems and continues to value land at agricultural prices.
By Jim from Dayton
August 22, 2010 9:42 AM | Link to this
Crony Capitalist: Actually, Patterson was an altruist and philanthropist. He wasn’t in it just for the money (and could act the way he did because he owned his company and wasn’t beholden to investors; NCR didn’t declare a stock option until after his death). Deeds, who got his start with Patterson, was likewise civic-minded. If it weren’t for him, in fact, Wright-Patterson AFB would not be here to bail out what’s left of the local economy. He became a millionaire on Wall Street in the 1920s but returned to Dayton in the 1930s to see NCR (and the City) through the Great Depression. There simply is no comparison between the economic and civic statesmanship demonstrated by Patterson and Deeds and the small-minded every-man-for-himself mentality of today’s civic and business leaders. None.
By e.bruce
August 22, 2010 9:49 AM | Link to this
The city of Dayton should be commended for having the editorial staff of the DDN in their back pockets. The sooner you accept that Dayton will never be the city it was in the 60’s and 70’s the better off you shall be. It is over.
By Crony Capitalist
August 22, 2010 10:07 AM | Link to this
Altruism and philanthrophy are good. I participate in these endevours when I can. (and don’t declare any tax write offs). However, as I am “small minded”, so is my ability to raise capital to invest in Dayton, at this time a dead end trash strewn alley. If I were of the economic means of Patterson/Kettering/Deeds…I’d take a chance. They could AFFORD to be altruistic and philanthropists. If one can’t afford to take a loss, don’t invest. If I could afford it, I would. But since I can’t, I’m not going to invest, lose my investment, and end up like Dayton….broke. I would be a statesman and civic minded if I could afford it. I suppose I have a personality disorder…I don’t condone economic suicide. When I lose my ethics/integrity/honesty…I’ll become a politician/”every man for himself” icon and lead Dayton out of the cess pit it has become. Until then, I’ll endure the criticism of people like you that have it all figured out, and wonder how horrible I am that I’m taking care of myself first, so I can eventually help others.
By Ice Bandit
August 22, 2010 10:20 AM | Link to this
Sorry David E and Jim from D; it isn’t the county that has written off downtown, it is the residents and consumers that have said “no mas” to the center city. Dayton could have reigned in the thugs and lowlife that drove business away, but chose instead to ignore the problem. Even government offices, the last remaining reason to gown downtown, have fled. David Esrati was born a century too late; he would have been a great captain on the Titanic…..
By RS
August 22, 2010 7:19 PM | Link to this
Mr Esrati can stop worrying about Montgomery County providing emergency services for the new developments. This area is within the boundaries of Miami Township and Miamisburg, both of which provide their own Police, Fire, EMS and public works services. Neither is it the resposibility of Montgomery County to address the City of Dayton’s incompetencies. The County has numerous responsibilities, but you will find that dealing with the City of Dayton’s wants and desires are not among them. If Dayton officials wish to continue digging a cesspool, it is their priviledge to do so. The only people responsible are those who repeatedly elect the Dayton politicians that are leading the project…
By Skeptic
August 22, 2010 11:56 PM | Link to this
Investors from places like New York and Chicago don’t care how many suburbs you have. They want to know there is a thriving city, and that means Downtown. There are hundreds of businesses and thousands of workers in Dayton. Anyone who thinks Dayton is down for the count is mistaken. Need proof? See the list of $100 million of investments for a good start. Wait untill gas is $5 a gallon, then you’ll see the folly of sprawl.
By Mark W
August 23, 2010 1:03 AM | Link to this
Does the mayor know that you’re referring to this as “Dayton’s” first new interchange? He doesn’t seem to like such regional generalizations. :-) When I lived in Springboro, I was rooting for the new interchange there so I could avoid the mess at the 725 exit. But now it seems that the goal is to make this interchange just as congested.
By fortressdayton
August 23, 2010 11:19 AM | Link to this
Patterson in it for altruism? Hardly. He was a maniacal crook who only got saved by the Flood. The feds were ready to tear him apart as the flood struck. He then got the very smart idea of endearing himself to the city by ‘selflessly’ helping during the flood. In any case, Dayton is dead and a capitalist invests his money where money can be made. If you understand economics, then you understand capitalism. If you want socialism (which is fine with me; I have lived in socialist countries half of my life), then just say that. Don’t expect capitalists to be looking out for your best interest, and don’t expect socialists to be efficient or turn a true profit. It is what it is. America needs to decide what it wants, but you can’t re-lable things to suit your own needs.
By Washington Township
August 23, 2010 12:56 PM | Link to this
Re New business at Austin Road: The projection is for about 20% to be new business (new to SW Ohio). The 80% balance will come from existing local (both Cincy and Dayton areas) firms that are expanding into larger facilities. For example, firms that are incubated in Tech Town could expand into larger facilities at Austin Road. There is also an undefined (or close-hold) retail component (watch out Dayton Mall!). I don’t see the “socialist” aspect of highway projects, but in this case there was certainly government subsidy of site development of private property, which IS a questionable use of public money. Since this is such a desirable green-field location the developer should have absorbed this cost and factored it into his sales or lease prices.
By bobby
August 23, 2010 11:26 PM | Link to this
@Washington Twp., I have heard rumors that, besides the off-site detention system, the County paid for hundreds of thousands of dirt work on a private developer’s site. Why is the Mead ground that was conveyed at 5+ million still paying agricultural values?
By Greg Hunter
August 28, 2010 12:42 PM | Link to this
Austin Road was always going to be the death knell of Dayton and those that put it in SHOULD have known it. For those that say “We could not have foreseen the housing bubble” I say BS. It was obvious to me as it was obvious that Austin is the final nail for a quality downtown. The BS about the thugs is due to the fact that Dayton has no barrier to growth. There are thugs in EVERY CITY but we in Montgomery County can keep our racism and move to lily white neighborhoods. We have no barrier to growth and that fact combined with the stupidity/greed of our elected officials and the DDN ensure the death of Dayton. The Miami Valley Regional Planning Council was correct and those behind the TID were wrong. Guess who still has their jobs? Suburbia - “The infrastructure of suburbia can be described as the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world.” Developers run this country and these people are blind to anything that gets in their way of dead presidents and the DDN is in their employ. Too bad we all reap the whorl wind of this arrogance.
By Greg Hunter
August 28, 2010 12:43 PM | Link to this
Austin Road was always going to be the death knell of Dayton and those that put it in SHOULD have known it. For those that say “We could not have foreseen the housing bubble” I say BS. It was obvious to me as it was obvious that Austin is the final nail for a quality downtown. The BS about the thugs is due to the fact that Dayton has no barrier to growth. There are thugs in EVERY CITY but we in Montgomery County can keep our racism and move to lily white neighborhoods. We have no barrier to growth and that fact combined with the stupidity/greed of our elected officials and the DDN ensure the death of Dayton. The Miami Valley Regional Planning Council was correct and those behind the TID were wrong. Guess who still has their jobs? Suburbia - “The infrastructure of suburbia can be described as the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world.” Developers run this country and these people are blind to anything that gets in their way of dead presidents and the DDN is in their employ. Too bad we all reap the whorl wind of this arrogance.
By Libertarian
August 30, 2010 10:26 PM | Link to this
I much prefer the excessive regulation, high taxes, graffiti, trash on the streets, boarded up homes, bums, drug dealers, vandalism, car theft, etc., of Dayton to what they have in Montgomery township.
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May 27, 2011 4:55 AM | Link to this
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