The owners say the project will make the apartments among the nicest in the neighborhood, which city officials said was welcome news considering ongoing issues with disinvestment in the area.
Dayton is home to about 730 vacant multi-family structures, which often are among the most visible eyesores in local neighborhoods.
“Our goal is to completely renovate the three apartment buildings inside and out,” said Milad Wahed, whose sister owns the buildings.
On Tuesday, the Dayton Board of Zoning Appeals approved a use variance to allow the re-occupation of the Ryburn Court apartments after years of abandonment.
The board approved the request with some conditions, including the requirement that the new property manager live on site. The apartments are located in the North Riverdale neighborhood.
The apartment complex’s three structures each contain 18 units, featuring two bedrooms, said Abigail Free, a planner with the city. The basements also have laundry areas.
The apartment complex was built in 1949 and was grandfathered in as a non-conforming use when the city updated its zoning code in 2006, Free said.
A variance is required because the apartments are located in a single-family residential zoning district.
A group called Ryburn Apartments LLC purchased the properties for $110,000 in 2015.
The company is owned by Wahed, who lives in Alexandria, Va.
The renovation project will include constructing granite countertops, custom cabinets and hardwood flooring, said Malid Wahed. The company plans to pay for security and grounds crews to maintain and look over the property, he said.
The company plans to designate only about one to two units per building as low-income housing.
The project will increase property values in the neighborhood and will return an eyesore to productive use, he said.
The structures today are on the city’s nuisance list for a variety of code violations.
Dayton Board of Zoning Appeals members said they want to see the project succeed and help repopulate the neighborhood.
Hopefully “it’ll be an anchor to spearhead additional development in the area, which is always a good thing,” said Mary Beth Caudill, board member.
Vacant and deteriorating apartment buildings remain an issue in Dayton.
The city is home to about 4,030 multi-family structures, and nearly one in five are vacant, according to a comprehensive property survey completed by the city last year.
More than 350 of the vacant structures are in need of major repairs or rehabilitation, and 22 are dilapidated, while more the survey found. Demolition funding the city receives typically cannot be used for larger multi-family dwellings.
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