Dayton city commissioners approved a $980,000 contract with the Charles V. Simms Development Corporation in December. The developer will prepare a little more than an acre in the Wright Dunbar business district on West Third Street for market rate housing.
Commissioner Matt Joseph says new market-rate housing is key for the Wolf Creek neighborhood.
“It’s been a rough 50, 55 years for this part of town. New businesses are starting. An essential piece to have market rate housing going in," Joseph explained. "Thank you to people still willing to take a chance in building this awesome neighborhood.”
Site preparation includes engineering, land planning, excavation and utility installation.
But questions were raised about the city’s future financial responsibilities toward building the proposed housing units. In an exchange with Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild — Economic Development Supervisor Veronica Morris clarified things:
Morris: This is what we need to do to prepare the site for market rate housing in an area that is really void of that type of housing opportunities.
Fairchild: But I’m hearing two things, this is what we need to prepare the site — then there’s going to be a financing to actually develop the property — correct?
Morris: That will be the responsibility of the developer.
Fairchild: Only his responsibility?
Morris: Correct.
The money for the site work comes from $138 million in federal COVID relief awarded to Dayton through the American Rescue Plan Act.
