Greater Downtown Dayton Plan

Active Lifestyles

If you’re seeking an active lifestyle, downtown is the place for you. Greater Downtown Dayton’s Great Miami River corridor has made substantial progress as an outdoor recreation destination since the launch of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan. In addition, Dayton has grown into a cycling community and continues to make advances that will make our city more bike-friendly. In 2010, the League of American Bicyclists awarded Dayton a bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community designation, making us the second city in Ohio to receive this recognition. Important to earning this distinction was the addition of a 5,000-square-foot bike hub at RiverScape MetroPark with secure bike parking, lockers, and showers for bike commuters.

Creating new active lifestyle options is a critical strategy in the Plan since more people are looking for new ways to enjoy the outdoors, remain fit and get around using alternative modes of transportation. Downtown is the hub of the largest regional bikeway system in the country and, since the launch of the Plan, there now are an additional 42.5 miles of regional trails connected to downtown’s bikeways. Funding is secured for a bike share program, which will launch in 2015 and feature 20+ stations and more than 200 bikes in Greater Downtown.

Rivers always have been the lifeblood of great cities. Animating Greater Downtown’s river recreation corridor is a major focus area in the Plan. A vision of a 98-mile recreation and entertainment district along the Great Miami and Mad rivers is shared by 11 cities. Greater Downtown has become the hub of this district and, by building on existing strengths, new and exciting activities that offer a variety of river experiences can be created. The fully funded $4 million RiverScape River Run project will open the downtown river to a cascade of additional opportunities, with the ultimate goal of making the rivers easy to enjoy and a vibrant downtown destination.

Plan goals include:

  • Identify capital and operating funding plans for three priority projects identified in the Greater Downtown Dayton Riverfront Master Plan.
  • Double cycling mode share compared to 2014 levels in the Greater Downtown.
  • Increase the number of people renting canoes and kayaks for the downtown river by five times over 2012 levels.

 

Recent Successes & Progress

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Numbers don’t lie: Downtown Dayton’s 2017 was HUGE

Downtown Dayton is experiencing the largest construction boom in decades, driven by colossal interest in urban living and the growing appetite for unique and authentic live, work and play opportunities.

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Downtown investment exceeds $1B this decade

Investments made or planned for downtown have surpassed the $1 billion mark since 2010, a milestone in the effort to re-energize the center city, and a benchmark that speaks to many projects yet to come.

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Increased housing options a downtown win

Downtown Dayton is enjoying renewed interest as more businesses open and bring more employees downtown. Meanwhile, more millennials and empty-nesters seeking a different lifestyle…

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River project expected to draw big crowds

Five Rivers MetroParks welcomed about 3.3 million visitors last year, and this year could be even busier as people flock to the River Run attraction coming downtown.

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Stakeholders see downtown Dayton on the rise

Tuesday’s annual Downtown Dayton Special Improvement District meeting was an opportunity for downtown’s stakeholders, investors and champions to gather and view the progress that downtown has made, particularly since the beginning of 2015, and to set sights to the future

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Downtown Dayton River Run Project Kicks Off

With a swing of ceremonial canoe paddles emblazoned with the RiverScape at River Run logo, more than a dozen local officials kicked off construction of the Great Miami River recreational project.

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Bike share program launches May 5

Dayton’s bike share program, called Link, will begin renting bicycles at its stations in and around the downtown area beginning next month.

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$4 million river project moves forward

Five Rivers MetroParks is ready to seek bids for its $4 million RiverScape River Run project in downtown Dayton, designed to transform the Great Miami River into a recreational destination.

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Bike Share Program Named, Will Debut This May

In May of 2015, Dayton will join the collection of more than 30 cities across the U.S. with bike share transportation systems. Link, Dayton’s bike share program, features more than 200 bikes at 24 strategically located stations.

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Downtown Dayton: City on the Move in 2015

2015 will be a year on the move for downtown Dayton. Here are a few highlights of what you can expect in your city as we travel through the new year:

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Bike Miami Valley names new executive director

Bike Miami Valley, the cycling advocacy group for the Dayton region, has selected a new executive director after reorganizing to run the region’s bike share program.

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$4M river project to begin this fall

The $4 million project to create a downtown Dayton water recreation attraction while eliminating a dangerous low dam has passed a major regulatory hurdle and is on target for work to begin this fall.

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River Run project reaches fundraising goal of $4 million

The next major step in creating the RiverScape River Run attraction in the Great Miami River downtown is getting permits approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, city of Dayton and Miami Conservancy District, organizers say.