Some large, highly anticipated projects are expected to be completed in 2025, including the renovation of the Dayton Convention Center, the northern part of the Dayton Arcade and the Grant-Deneau Tower.
“Downtown Dayton is experiencing an incredible renaissance, with over $3.5 billion in projects completed or underway by 2030, and $1.6 billion in additional development on the horizon,” said Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr., who is co-chair of the Downtown Dayton Partnership’s Board of Trustees.
“With $436 million currently under construction, we are not only rebuilding our city — we are investing in its future.”
But downtown also lost some of its small businesses last year, and other shop owners have warned that they might be forced to close their doors if their sales do not improve.
Best since at least 2010
The Downtown Dayton Partnership said greater downtown benefitted from about $400 million in public and private-sector investment in 2024, which was more than any year on record since the organization began tracking this information in 2010.
The Greater Downtown Dayton Plan launched in 2010, which was meant to be a roadmap for revitalizing the urban center. Supporters say the plan has been a big success and about $2.55 billion has been invested downtown since its launch.
The partnership says culminative downtown investment since the plan’s launch could reach about $3.5 billion by 2030.
The Downtown Dayton Partnership says 2024 saw twice as much new investment as 2023 ($200 million). Downtown experienced about $93 million in new investment in 2022; $178 million in 2021; and almost $97 million in 2020.
Some big projects that crossed the finish line in 2024 included the opening of the $100 million mixed-use Delco building by Day Air Ballpark, where the Dayton Dragons play baseball.
The Delco, the massive former Mendelsons Liquidation Outlet, has seven floors and about 555,000 square feet of space.
The Delco has 160 new apartments and a parking garage with 482 public parking spaces. The building also has lots of first floor retail spaces and upstairs commercial and office space.
Last year, the Greater Dayton School celebrated the grand opening of its new building and campus along the river, across from downtown’s RiverScape MetroPark.
The project cost tens of millions of dollars and turned mostly vacant land into an eye-catching, futuristic-looking school building and campus.
Another multi-million dollar housing project, the 503, opened at Wayne Avenue and East Fourth Street, near the Wheelhouse Lofts and the Fifth Street business district in the Oregon District. The 503 has about 158 apartments.
Downtown continues to have one of the hottest housing markets in the Miami Valley region, with an occupancy rate that’s consistently been north of 90%.
New businesses
The Downtown Dayton Partnership says 28 new businesses opened downtown in 2024.
These include Base Camp Outdoors Co. at 420 E. First St.; Jimmy’s Italian Cuisine & Bar, a restaurant at 824 E. Fifth St.; and Teapot Cafe Lounge, an “infused” coffeeshop at 146 E. Third St.
Other new businesses that came downtown last year included Val’s Bakery at 25 S. St. Clair St.; Mintha’s Boutique, a fashion retailer at 520 E. Third St.; and Chairapy, a hair salon at 605 E. Fifth St.
Downtown welcomed about 41 new businesses in 2023 and 36 in 2022.
The partnership said downtown had about 15.8 million visitors in 2024, which was up slightly from 2023.
Visitor traffic plunged in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, but it has now rebounded to about 96% of pre-pandemic weekend levels and 81% of weekday levels, the partnership said.
“Nationally there are a very small number of metros that have returned to 100% pre-pandemic levels,” said Katie Meyer, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership. “We’re excited to see that Dayton has one of the higher return rates, and is even ranking higher than other major Ohio cities.”
Meyer said 2024 was a strong year for Dayton and things are looking up for 2025. She said $436 million worth of projects are already already under construction.
The Dayton Convention Center at South Main and East Fifth streets is undergoing $45 million worth of renovations that are supposed to help the facility compete for conventions, meetings, conferences and other kinds of events. The project is on track to finish up in early spring.
The northern section of the Dayton Arcade is under construction, and that work is expected to be completed this year. The development team is working to open a new 93-room Hilton Garden Inn and a new retail marketplace.
Windsor Companies, the firm responsible for redeveloping the Fire Blocks District, is working to convert an old office building, the Grant-Deneau Tower, into a mix of new uses, including luxury apartments.
Business closures
But some downtown businesses folded in 2024.
Est! Est! Est!, an Italian restaurant located in the first floor of the Dayton Arcade, shut down. However, the restaurant Table 33 has moved into its space.
Moeller Brew Barn closed down several weeks ago. The business, which opened across from Day Air Ballpark in late summer of 2022, will be replaced by Pins Mechanical Co. Pins Mechanical is an “adult playground” that has drinks, games and other entertainment.
Red Star, a vodka bar and cocktail lounge on the 500 block of East First Street, shut its doors at the end of last month.
Other businesses, including Heart Mercantile in the Oregon District and Barrel House on East Third Street, also said they were in trouble and might have to shut their doors if foot traffic and sales do not get better.
Some people think that one problem is that a significant number of employees who used to work downtown now work from home some or all of the time.
That means they are no longer eating and shopping at downtown businesses before and after work and during lunchtime hours.
Some people say consumers have responded to higher prices by cutting back on their spending, especially on nonessential items.
“Our downtown businesses are doing everything they can to continue to make it through a difficult economic period,” said Meyer. “Support from the community is crucial right now to help them continue to survive.”
Number of Downtown visitors by year
2024: 15.83 million
2023: 15.69 million
2022: 14.67 million
2021: 12.44 million
2020: 10.84 million
SOURCE: Downtown Dayton Partnership
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