But a vocal group of residents oppose and hope to halt the project. They say the proposed apartment building is incompatible with the surrounding area and would exacerbate issues with crime, public safety and parking.
“The proposal just doesn’t fit the area,” said Fred Holley, president of the Dayton View Historic District’s Board of Trustees.
Holley and the Dayton View Historic Association have challenged a Dayton zoning appeals board decision in court in a legal fight that potentially could impact the project.
Cambridge House II proposal
Dublin Capital Group plans to construct a 47-unit apartment building on vacant land at 1306 Bryn Mawr Drive in northwest Dayton, two blocks west of Salem Avenue.
The half-acre project site is located in the Southern Dayton View neighborhood next to the Cambridge House Apartments.
Cambridge House is an apartment complex with 45 units that Dublin Capital Group acquired several years ago. The original buildings were constructed in the 1920s but were rehabbed in 1974. The complex provides housing to very low-income individuals and families.
Dublin Capital proposes to spend about $15.8 million to construct new apartments on the vacant land next door. The proposed building, called Cambridge House II, will be about 65,000 square feet in size and four stories tall, with a lower level of parking.
The new apartments will have income restrictions, but supporters say the units will be aimed at working people like teachers, firefighters and other professionals.
The apartment building will have a gym, a community kitchen, a community meeting area, an outdoor deck and other amenities.
County Corp., the Dayton-Montgomery County Port Authority and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency are providing funding, incentives and other kinds of support to the project.
Details of opposition
Last month, about 30 community members gathered at Grace United Methodist Church along Salem Avenue to discuss the Cambridge House II project. The developer was not present for this meeting.
Holley, with the Dayton View Historic District board, said the size, scale, architecture and setback of the proposed apartment building is inappropriate for the neighborhood.
Holley said the developer has been unwilling to engage with concerned neighbors and has not provided a business plan or updated project details.
Some neighbors said the Cambridge House II building is far too big for the area, especially considering most properties are two-story homes.
Some neighbors say they worry the project will cause parking and public safety problems and will harm home and property values.
Chris Lewis, vice president of streetscape with the Dayton View Historic District board of trustees, said he did an analysis of crime data that found there have been dozens of criminal incidents at or right by the existing Cambridge apartments in the last couple of years.
Lewis argued the new housing likely would result in an increase in crime that could derail growing investment in the neighborhood.
Dayton Police Department data obtained by this newspaper shows there have been about 114 calls for service for 149 Cambridge Ave. (Cambridge House Apartments) in the almost four years since Jan. 1, 2021 — roughly 2.5 per month. Most of the calls were complaints about trespassing, people not wearing masks and disorderly subjects.
Lewis said neighbors aren’t opposed to affordable housing projects. But he said they oppose mismanaged apartment properties that are operated irresponsibly and that create unsafe conditions.
“This just isn’t a fit for the neighborhood on a safety level,” he said. “And it’s not a good fit for the neighborhood on an appearance level either.”
Developer responds
Coate of Dublin Capital Group said the site is zoned for high-density housing, and he thinks there would not be significant pushback from neighbors if this was market-rate housing.
He said some neighbors believe the neighborhood already has too much affordable housing.
Coate said the design of the building and the project have undergone a lot changes after getting feedback from neighbors. He said he knocked on many doors and talked to lots of neighbors who were excited about the project.
Coate said the project now has a lot fewer units than the original plan and the height, size and the color of the building have been modified, the location of the front door was moved and more parking was added.
Coate says the project plans have been modified to the point where zoning variances are no longer required.
“We’ve really made quite a few amendments to try and not only fit the zoning code better but make it more appealing for the neighbors,” he said.
Coate said this will be workforce housing and monthly rents will be slightly less than $1,000 for a one-bedroom unit and around $1,200 for a two-bedroom unit.
He said the apartments will be just as nice as some of the popular apartments that have opened downtown.
Coate questioned the crime data that the Dayton View Historic District board shared. But he said generally speaking it’s a good thing if people are calling the police to be proactive and report any public safety issues that arise.
Steve Naas, president of County Corp., said public safety issues in the area around Cambridge House have not been the fault of the people who live in the complex or their guests.
Naas also said that virtually every new housing project faces some opposition, regardless of the quality and location of the developments.
Naas said housing is very expensive right now because there is a major shortage of units, saying this workforce housing is very much needed and should be in high demand.
Legal battle
Dublin Capital Group appeared before the Board of Zoning Appeals in the fall of 2023 to request approval of several variances to allow the Cambridge House II project to move forward.
Kyrsten French, Dayton’s zoning administrator, determined the project required variances for lot coverage, side yard setback, driveway setback for waste containers and it failed to meet minimum parking requirements.
The zoning appeals board ultimately denied the variance request after hearing from about 11 opponents and several supporters of the project.
After that, Dublin Capital Group modified its plans, and city staff say the project no longer needs any variances that require Board of Zoning Appeals approval.
But last fall, the Dayton View Historic Association filed an administrative action in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court appealing a decision by the Dayton Board of Zoning Appeals.
The historic association claimed French failed to properly interpret Dayton’s zoning code. The lawsuit says her zoning refusal letter did not contain some variances that should have been included and required.
French took over as Dayton’s zoning administrator last year. Her predecessor denied Dublin Capital’s application for a zoning certificate in a refusal letter that listed eight reasons the project did not comply with code.
French’s zoning refusal letter, which was issued later, identified four reasons the project did not comply with zoning standards.
The Dayton View Historic Association claims the original zoning refusal letter is valid and should apply. The litigation is ongoing.
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