The Dayton City Commission recently approved an amendment to a development agreement it has with Wright Dunbar REH LLC that would provide an additional $300,000 in funding to the "Cornerstone" project.
Dayton leaders last year approved giving $350,000 in grant funding to the project, which seeks to renovate three side-by-side buildings on the 1100 block of W. Third St. The renovated buildings are expected to become home to a new restaurant (XO Burger), a tea and wine bar (Saoko Leaf & Wine), a deli (Haymarket Deli & Sweets) and another unidentified tenant.
The $300,000 grant to Wright Dunbar REH, from the West Dayton Development Trust Fund, will leverage $6 million in private investment that will help create an active, walkable and vibrant streetscape, city documents state.
Larry Dillin is the managing partner of Wright Dunbar REH LLC. Dillin developed the popular W. Social Tap & Table food hall, which is located just down the street at 1100 W. Third St.
“This project is all about bringing new life to a longtime vacant building in the Wright Dunbar business district,” said Morris, with the city of Dayton. “The plan is to turn 1171 W. Third into a vibrant space for local businesses — think retail, food spots and spaces where entrepreneurs can grow and thrive. It’s a key part of the larger push to support economic growth and create more opportunities right in the heart of West Dayton."
Dayton last month issued a request for proposals seeking developers for a 3.4-acre site at the southeast corner of West Third Street and South Edwin C. Moses Boulevard. The city calls the intersection, at the western end of the Third Street bridge, a strategic gateway that connects Wright Dunbar and West Dayton to downtown.
The city owns the site, which is home to the old, vacant Zion Baptist Church. The church, built in the early 1900s, relocated in 1984, and the property later became the Dayton Cultural & RTA Transit Center.
Dayton’s RFP says the church building is eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places, and developers should only propose projects that do not call for removing or greatly modifying the building.
However, the RFP says, “The northern wing on the existing structure includes later additions and may be considered for demolition or given greater allowances for modification.”
The city said potential uses of the church property could include office, residential, commercial, institutional and possibly a combination of “lifestyle uses” at the ground level.
“The city is seeking a visionary, experienced development partner to deliver a signature, mixed-use redevelopment that respects the historic Zion Baptist Church and enhances the gateway to Wright Dunbar and West Dayton,” Morris said. “The site’s prominence, visibility and proximity to downtown Dayton, the Great Miami River and major corridors make it a prime location.”
Wright Dunbar is changing, and the opening of the W. Social food hall in July 2022 was a big moment for the district. Other recent additions along the business corridor include Wright Dunbar Cigar Shoppe & Lounge (also called Wright Dunbar Cigar) at 1151 W. Third St. and Morgan’s Fine Cuisine at 1101 W. Third St. Wright Dunbar Cigar is part of the Cornerstone project.
Charles Simms Development also is constructing new townhomes along the 1000 block of West Third St. Multiple homes are finished, and more are on the way.
Cornerstone provides the west anchor for the reinvented Wright Dunbar commercial district that will have locally-owned restaurants and retail shops, said Dillin.
He said Cornerstone will have about 17,000 square feet of space, and the ground floor spaces should be completed this fall. He said funding from the West Dayton trust fund will be used to plug the final funding gap.
A development agreement the city commission approved last year with Wright Dunbar REH said a $350,000 grant will bring in $3 million in private investment. But the proposed amendment to the agreement says the additional $300,000 in grant funding will help support $6 million in private capital investment in West Dayton.
City officials said the increased budget reflects the developer’s desire for a transformational project instead of a basic rehab.
The city also provided $980,000 of its federal COVID relief funding (Dayton Recovery Plan dollars) to Simms’ Townes at Wright Dunbar project, and the cigar shop received some grant funding from the West Dayton Development Trust Fund.
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