“There is a need for market rate and affordable downtown residential units that can offer safe, secured parking with amenities that highlight the urban living experience,” the report adds. “The arcade block is a spectacular architectural gem of not only statewide but national significance. Its exceptional quality of space and design excellence have the capacity to dramatically increase the success of the proposed uses.”
In December 2014, the city of Dayton commissioned Sandvick and THP Limited Inc. in Cincinnati to analyze the possibility of arcade redevelopment into a downtown living space.
The historical arcade — for decades a much-loved centerpiece of downtown Dayton — consists of nine interconnected and surrounding buildings.
The analysis was to offer a task force selected by Mayor Nan Whaley with data and cost estimates of proposed uses and demolition scenarios.
The report says the proposed redevelopment should focus on a mix of 187 small- to medium-sized apartments. Also suggested are student housing, artist loft spaces, extended-stay business suites and a “boutique upscale hotel.”
“Current economic and social dynamics indicate an opportunity for increased residential uses in downtown Dayton,” the report says. “The trend to live, work and play within the city core nationwide is creating a strong market for the adaptive reuse of former retail and office buildings into market-rate housing.
“The units being proposed will be located above the ground floor and range from multi-level two-bedroom suites to one-bedroom ‘micro’ units that are below 600 (square feet), thus quite affordable,” the document says.
Cost estimates aren’t offered. Those are to be given in later revisions, the report says.
Last summer, Whaley announced the formation of the task force to evaluate the condition and redevelopment potential of the complex, which has been vacant since 1991.
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