Committed coverage
The Dayton Daily News is committed to in-depth coverage of the Montgomery County Fairgrounds move and the redevelopment of the existing property.
Highly anticipated plans to redevelop the Montgomery County Fairgrounds have not won over some community members who worry the development will poach customers and businesses from other parts of Dayton.
A mixed-use project at the fairgrounds will shape the future of southern Dayton for many years to come, and the wrong type of development would hurt places like Brown Street, which is a short walk away and took years to build into an active business corridor, according to some citizens and business groups.
“I think the developers should look at that very carefully and work with the existing businesses and the Rubicon Park Business Association to try to not let that happen,” said Steve Schmidt, a founding member of the Brown Street Business Association, which later became the Rubicon Park Business Association.
Other people say the redevelopment of the fairgrounds is barrelling ahead without sufficient public input, and they have called for a halt to the project to allow for more reflection and analysis to identify the most suitable types of land uses.
Dayton and Montgomery County officials, however, said the project would lead to an influx of new residents who would be potential customers for nearby businesses.
“A successful, high-quality, mixed-use development should increase the existing market and bring new customers and businesses to the entire Mid-Town area,” said Montgomery County Administrator Joe Tuss. “The Dayton market is not a zero sum game.”
A week ago, the public was invited to attend a meeting to share their opinions and recommendations for redeveloping the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.
The four developers who want to lead the project were in attendance to hear community feedback. Their redevelopment proposals for the South Main Street site are due next month.
Several visitors said the project will only benefit the community if it attracts new jobs and businesses from outside Dayton.
New investment in that location would be big for Dayton, but the project will be a bust if it merely steals customers and existing businesses away from Brown Street and other places, they said.
The fairgrounds should be developed in a way that ensures it does not detract from Brown Street, said Schmidt, who owns the Second Time Around used music and video store, as well as a variety of nearby commercial structures.
“I’d really hate to see, after all these years, for all the business to go west,” he said.
Several critics have pointed out that already there are vacant ground-floor storefronts on or near Brown Street, which they say suggests weakness in the market.
Development decisions should be made after careful calculation, and it should bring businesses that diversify the choices for consumers and complement the existing selection, said Ken Clarkston, president of the Rubicon Park Business Association.
For instance, he said, Brown Street consists primarily of restaurants, so the fairgrounds should look to draw other types of amenities, like a movie theater or grocery store.
“The development needs to be blended with the current assets of the community in a seamless way,” he said.
Clarkston has urged the city and its partners to rescind their request for proposals and first hire an outside consultant to determine the best uses for the property.
He questioned why developers are being asked to create a minimum of 600 housing units at the fairgrounds when Dayton has an overabundance of cheap housing and vacant lots.
“I’d like someone unbiased and subjective to take a look at it,” he said.
Another speaker at last week’s meeting said the market should decide what comes to the fairgrounds and not the city or county.
Tony Kroeger, city of Dayton planner, said he understands the concerns about poaching, but believes the development will add housing density that benefits the local business community.
One of the city’s latest developments, Water Street District near Fifth Third Field, has welcomed businesses new to Dayton, including Basil’s on Market and Snap Fitness. PNC Bank, however, relocated from its Main Street home.
Until there are firm site plans, it is difficult to know what kinds of businesses the fairgrounds project would draw and from where they might come, Kroeger said.
“In an ideal world, it will be complementary to stuff that’s offered elsewhere in the city and won’t be direct competition,” he said.
About the Author
