One of the developments will bring a whitewater feature to the river in West Carrollton. The city began a $10 million project to modify the South Montgomery Low Dam, creating a 900-foot whitewater channel that can be used for water sports including kayaking and wave surfing when completed. The city also has plans to build out its river district with restaurants, apartments and townhomes, a hotel and a small watercraft marina, according to a May agreement approved by the city council.
The two-hour float down the river will bring paddlers to the site of another riverway development in the city of Miamisburg. The former DP&L coal plant off Chautauqua Road, which shut down in 2013, is being transformed into a 200-acre mixed-use development expected to have both residential and recreational features.
Dan Foley leads the Great Miami Riverway, a Miami Conservancy District program that promotes engagement with the riverway. He said he is excited to have an event that is fun, but also shows off the community assets along the Great Miami River that have “outlived their past use.”
“One of our jobs in the Riverway is to try to really shed light on the fact that there’s a lot of these properties that are just really significant,” Foley said. “They’ve been significant parts of communities, and they can have a higher, better use.”
Riverway developments like those in West Carrollton and Miamisburg bring economic growth to the Dayton area, according to Foley. An attractive riverfront with recreational opportunities makes way for workforce and business retention, tourism and growing residential areas.
“I think this is a great example of communities really saying, ‘Wait, we’re so fortunate to be on the river,’ ” Foley said. “And what you’re seeing is both these communities are really, really pushing hard to redevelop properties that can add economic development on the river in their cities.”
Development along the Great Miami River also promotes the river corridor’s cultural, historical and ecological advancement, Foley said. The riverway’s paved trails reign as the nation’s largest network of connected paved trails, which go on for over 340 miles throughout the Miami Valley. It is also home to Ohio’s first designated national water trail. And, in recent years, the eagle population in the area has seen a rebirth.
In addition to paddling through the natural corridor of the river at the Great Float, participants will finish the day on the Great Miami with a “taste of Miamisburg” afterparty featuring local restaurants TJ Chumps, Bennett’s Publical, Bullwinkle’s and Ron’s Pizza.
“We think it’s going to be a fun day,” Foley said. “It’s never a bad day to be on the river for a couple hours.”
About the Author
