“The Wolf Creek neighborhood is a wonderful place, with river adjacency and downtown views, in addition to proximity to Wright-Dunbar and the national park,” said Kroeger. “We are excited for the residents of this neighborhood, and it is fulfilling to see such interest and investment.”
Wolf Creek is a neighborhood located in West Dayton that is just north of West Third Street, near the Wright-Dunbar Historic Village. The 2020 U.S. Census said about 625 people lived in the neighborhood.
Data from a Dayton housing condition survey released in 2024 showed that about 30% of the homes in Wolf Creek needed major repairs or rehab or were in a dilapidated state. Only of four of Dayton’s 66 other residential neighborhoods had a larger share of properties that needed significant repairs.
But things are looking up.
The Montgomery County Land Bank is expected to appear before the Dayton Board of Zoning Appeals later this month to request conditional use approval to build nine new attached, single-family homes in Wolf Creek.
The Montgomery County Land Bank wants to construct workforce housing, focused on first-time homebuyers, east of North Broadway Street, between First and Second streets, said Susan Vincent, planning and acquisitions manager for the organization.
The land bank plans to spend about $14 million to build 40 new homes in several neighborhoods in Dayton, with millions of dollars of funding assistance coming from the Welcome Home Ohio program. The land bank hopes to apply for building permits later this year for the Wolf Creek part of the project.
The Wolf Creek area is rich with assets like national park sites and the Wright Dunbar historic commercial district, and the neighborhood has easy access to major highways and downtown, plus a direct connection to the region’s highly renowned trail system, Vincent said.
Public and private investments are helping stabilize the housing market in Wolf Creek and hopefully will encourage additional private development in the future, she said.
Charles Simms Development is building 26 new townhomes on the 1000 block of West Third Street, which is the southern border of the Wolf Creek planning area. A few of the three-story, market-rate homes have already been sold.
The Townes at Wright Dunbar will be a collection of four brick buildings.
Robi Simms, co-president of Charles Simms Development, told this newspaper that there is pent-up demand to live in this beautiful, historic part of Dayton that’s close to shops, restaurants, businesses, parks and downtown.
Additionally, County Corp plans to build 27 single-family homes on vacant lots north of West Third Street, between Broadway Street and James H. McGee Boulevard.
Adam Blake, vice president of housing for County Corp, said he expects to close on financing for the rental homes soon, and construction would begin shortly after that. Blake said construction should be completed by next winter, or early 2027. The affordable housing project is a roughly $11.5 million investment.
County Corp also is currently building four single-family homes on West First Street and North Williams Street, near Edison Elementary. The market-rate homes are expected to be completed this fall. Developer G.F. Bailey also is building a new home with an accessory dwelling in Wolf Creek.
There’s another project going on in Wolf Creek, along the waterway.
About 60% of design work is completed on a project that will remake parts of the levees near the mouth of the Wolf Creek, near the Edwin C. Moses Boulevard bridge over the waterway, said Sarah Hippensteel Hall, manager of communications, outreach and stewardship for the Miami Conservancy District.
For decades, the levees along Wolf Creek have done their job to protect homes and businesses from flooding, but they also have created a physical and visual barrier to the waterway, Hippensteel Hall said.
Redesigning the slopes and adding accessible ramps, seating and lighting will turn a barrier into a community asset, while still maintaining the same high level of flood protection, she said.
“This project transforms Wolf Creek from something you pass by into something you can truly experience,” she said. “This is about reconnecting West Dayton with its water. The Wolf Creek corridor will feel more open, welcoming and safe.”
Wolf Creek flows into the Great Miami River near downtown and this project will complement other nearby neighborhood and park investments, while making McIntosh Park and the surrounding area feel like a true riverfront park, Hippensteel Hall said.
She said the remade levees will connect people to the regional trail network and create opportunities for fishing, wading and gathering.
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