But the nonprofit plans to triple the amount of rooms it has to offer in the new facility, which will be located on the same site as the current facility along Valley Street, across from Dayton Children’s.
“This looks beautiful,” said Ann Schenking, a member of the plan board. “This is going to be another terrific addition” to the area.
The Ronald McDonald House provides families of seriously ill children close-by housing as they receive medical care. The Dayton Plan Board recently approved the Ronald McDonald House Charities Dayton’s plan for a new three-story building that will serve up to 42 families.
The group originally opened a Ronald McDonald House on the 700 block of Valley Street in 1980. The current facility was constructed in the late 1990s at 555 Valley St.
Last month, construction began on the new facility, which will be about 38,000 square feet.
The plan board approved multiple variances related to building height, buffers and increasing the number of families that can stay in the residential care facility to 42, up from 16.
The 1.7-acre site will have an outdoor space and significant landscaping.
The new center will be a landmark for the area that connects with the residential characteristics of the Old North Dayton neighborhood, said Chas Wiederhold, project designer with GBBN.
“We’ve really tried to create a robust front yard for the Ronald McDonald House,” he said.
The exterior of the building will have terracotta tiles that provide “authenticity” and “texture,” Wiederhold said.
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