Billy@MostMetro

Mike Ervin & Mike Elsass talked to me about the project this past Sunday (and then gave me a tour)... they wanted MostMetro.com to put the story out first but I had to promise to wait until 10am today to publish it all. (the DDN was not supposed to publish their story but perhaps they heard we were getting the scoop) I'll add the entire post here when it is official, but I can tell you that some AMAZING things will be happening on 5th Street. Art galleries are a big part of it but it is much more than that. Details coming soon...

^ especially when the state comes in and stops development just so they can make sure there were some historically significant radiators buried on the grounds! Ridiculous!

Sorry in advance if somebody has already mentioned this documentary... I just watched "End of Suburbia" the other night and it is an interesting view on the future of all that sprawl. Very doomsdayish in a "the end of the world is near" kinda way, as it talks about peak oil. But it is still worth watching - it's available on NetFlix...

I too have no problem with places like Warren County working to increase the arts in their communities, nor do I think it would be a bad thing for Dayton and Cincinnati groups to travel across the region to perform. I do have a problem when those in charge of these efforts write pieces in the newspaper basically asking businesses that traditionally support the existing arts orgs in the urban core to shift their dollars to their towns so that they can build duplicate venues. That would do considerable damage to the urban orgs that are already struggling. It is no different than poaching our downtown businesses with unfair tax incentives. And in an overall region that is struggling, it makes absolutely no sense. I'm also offended by his argument that since the median income is so high in Warren County that this is a reason to more or less abandon the arts orgs in the urban cores. Dayton has got more than its share of poor people, but that is not a reason to take one of the last few positives about this city away so that so-called rich (white) people out in sprawl land don't have to drive a WHOLE HALF HOUR away for a night of culture. And btw - not everybody in Dayton is poor, despite what the average suburbanite believes. And while I'm ranting - why is it that Warren County's growth is looked at as such an amazing thing? Wasn't most of it farm land just a decade or so ago? When you have that much cheap vacant land, it is pretty damn easy to grow - especially in the recent housing bubble that has since burst.

Further research shows that Mr. Smallwood is the former president and CEO of CultureWorks in Dayton. http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20071202/ENT07/712020327

Dayton and Cinci folks (including those who live in the nearby suburbs) should take offense to this ridiculous plea from a guy representing the Warren County Arts Council who is basically saying that those who currently support the arts in the urban cores of Dayton and Cinci should shift their focus (and dollars) to Warren County so they can duplicate the arts and cultural venues that already exist in each core city for their exurban convenience... Nathan Smallwood: Arts sector should reach out to booming Warren Few places in America are experiencing more dramatic "exurban" growth than Warren County. Across the nation, massive numbers of families are trading their traditional suburban lifestyles for bigger homes and yards and increased distance from perceived urban ills. More below: http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/editorial/2008/01/02/ddn010208voicens.html Regards, Bill Pote Downtown Dayton Resident and Business Owner [email protected]

I'll give my kudos to the Kuhns building....

I know people... :wink2: Unfortunately this is the best pic I could get (sorry, it isn't great). One thing we should remember is that this is just a rendering - if it does get built then it may end up very different. The people I've talked to say that the developer is a bit of a mystery, though Pinnacle is a reputable firm. Let's hope that this project actually sees shovel in the dirt next year.

Here is an updated rendering - pretty cool!

Firm to raise $1M for local theme park Dayton Business Journal A newly formed Dayton development firm is seeking $1 million in private investment from business leaders to bring a year-round theme park and iconic hotel to the Dayton area. The plan would dovetail into a larger initiative promoting the region's aviation legacy under a single banner, known as the National Aviation Heritage Area.

I'm all for this kind of thing too, but I've learned after living in this town for a few years now and hearing about all of the proposed "ideas" that never seem to materialize, not to get too excited. Ideas without funding are just that - ideas. I am amused by how the local media never fails to feature these "ideas" no matter how far they are from actual implementation. Anybody remember the guy who wanted to build a theme park in Dayton that is "bigger than Cedar Point and King's Island combined"? That made the front page of the DDN for Christ's sake!(gee, is could this be the same guy?) Folks, I lived in the tourist capital of the country (Florida) and Dayton simply ain't a tourist destination, and it ain't gonna be. That isn't to say that it can't be a successful city (if I didn't think it could be I'd be outta here tomorrow), but let's be realisitic - there won't be a 73 story hotel in Dayton. That said, I do think the aviation theme park idea is intriguing and certainly has potential. It all comes down to finding the deep pockets. Very deep pockets. And that person (or people) with the very deep pockets need to also have an undying love for this little city called Dayton, Ohio - because it will take both to get something like this actually built. But while we're dreaming - why not turn Sandy Mendelson's buildings into a theme park + hotel all-in-one? Over one million square feet, plenty of room! I know Brixx sure could use the business!

I may be a bum but I am no hobo... :drunk: (or is that the other way around)

So how many Urban Ohio posts will I need in order to get this new Dayton hotel under my UO username? :mrgreen:

A hotel taller than 73 stories in Dayton? Please put the crack pipe down...

^Amen

That's the thing about Gary - as long as you stay on the main expressways/highways you're ok. It is when you get into the neighborhoods that it gets pretty rough. And just like any city - there are parts that are bad and parts that aren't so bad.

Here is a nice shot that my friend Andy Snow took a couple of years ago...

Hmm, isn't the timing on this article ironic.... __________________________________________________________________ Divorcing Gary is hard to do Residents of the Indiana city's lakefront region are divided about legal secession Source: Chicago Tribune, Aug 27, 2007 Link Citing the city's poor economic stature, residents of a section of Gary, Indiana, are proposing that they split from the city. Some say race and class differences are the undercurrents spurring the idea. "In recent weeks, a heated, sometimes passionate conversation has unfolded over whether Miller should legally divorce Gary. The idea has been batted around before, but in more abstract ways. This time, some residents are working on a formal plan, circulating fliers and researching how much time and money it would take to break away." "The discussion illustrates how frustrated some taxpayers and homeowners are with Gary government and an image of struggling schools, corruption and high crime. Crime statistics still rank the city as one of the nation's most violent. Test scores in public schools are below the national average, and recently the state ordered city leaders to cut $11 million from the budget." "'The city of Gary is in terrible financial shape, and it's not due to the amount of money they collect,' said Nat McKnight, who's trying to gauge interest in the idea of breaking away. 'They are not willing to economize and protect the tax base. That's what disannexation is all about. It might be better for Gary and Miller if this comes to pass.'" "Still, the discussion has unleashed strong emotions in this laid-back region. Those in favor of splitting say that they are not rich, but the idea of formal separation looks to some like the wealthy removing themselves from the poor. And in a polarized city, some can't help but see racial undertones to the idea, true or not. The city is majority African-American, and many of those leading the discussion about separating are white."

I was born and raised in Hammond, IN - which is right next to Gary and East Chicago. And all I have to say is - whenever somebody complains about how dangerous Dayton is, I laugh. Gary is THE most dangerous and depressed city in the midwest. The only thing saving it is riverboat gambling, brought to town by none other than Donald Trump. But I think that is separated from the rest of the city. Interesting pics though...

Great post, KFOOW... I have always found it interesting the differing views of what "Class" actually means. To some, it is monetary. To others (like me), it is how people act (civilized or like knuckleheads). And unfortunately to yet others it still means the color of one's skin. Or it could be all of the above - go to other countries (even "poorer" ones like Mexico) and you will see the exact same phenomenon - sometimes even closer to the surface. It boils down to the fact that as humans we are like reverse magnets - we are naturally attracted to others like us and at the same time we naturally avoid those who are different than who we see ourselves as. And it usually comes down to the word "fear". When we were all cave dwellers, we had to "fear" the tribe over the hill because they probably wanted to kill us. Nowadays, we "fear" yuppies moving into our neighborhood if we are poor and worry about being displaced. Or we "fear" different races moving into our neighborhood because we worry about our property values going down. We fear others that threaten our way of life, and usually that fear is irrational. Unfortunately so is the fear that sometimes causes the stock market to crash, and irrational fears can become very real disasters for those who are affected. What feeds that fear is isolation, not just in one's life but in who we associate with. If you associate exclusively with others that are just like you, your fear of those different than you will intensify. That is one reason why sprawl is bad for our society - it isolates, divides and causes imbalance. All one can do is reach out to others that may be different than them to try and find common ground. Sometimes it is the other person's prejudices that stand in the way, making it is a lost cause. Jeffrey made a good point about both gentrifiers and poor folks uniting for a common goal (a decent grocery store). It can happen. There is a very good documentary that aired last year on pbs called "People Like Us - Social Class in America". I highly recommend it to anybody interested in the class phenomenon in our country.

Downtown Dayton - 94 / 100 http://www.walkscore.com/get-score.shtml?street=111+harries+street&loc=dayton%2C+ohio&go=Go I would agree with my score - I can walk to 54 restaurants, 40 bars, 12 coffee shops & 5 theaters. http://www.dayton.mostmetro.com/localpointdetail.asp?LocalPointID=10&DistrictID=3 Yet, people in this region still tend to believe that there is "nothing to do in Downtown Dayton". Their loss...

Chicago also has a residency rule for cops and teachers, unless they changed it lately...

Hey ColDayMan, inkaelin, rob and dfly - it was great meeting you guys. Next time we WILL get into the Arcade!

Cool, I'll be there... Also, if anybody is going to be downtown the night before for Urban Nights - let me know if you're interested in coming to an after-party and I'll give you the details. [email protected]

When looking at the poverty rate map, this is definitely obsolete data as far as the CBD is concerned. Most of the condos that have been built in the past 5 years are also the most expensive properties in the entire city. In fact, many are more expensive per sq foot than most suburban properties. I don't know of any low income or subsidized housing in the CBD besides the Biltmore Tower (old folks home), so I wonder what current data would show. As for most of the rest of Dayton, this data is probably still accurate today. I imagine things in many neighborhoods have gotten quite worse, especially with so much predatory lending and an explosion of foreclosures in the past year. Sad...