< Previous10 JULY 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO N stepped outside their normal campus footprint, 1.5 miles away from downtown, but for them to do that was taking another step in the right direction.” Julie Sullivan, the DDC’s executive vice president of regional development, has worked with Cross Street for four years, and the deal fi nally reached fi nancial closing this spring. Th e laundry list of partners in the capital stack is long. “All said it was the most complicated structure they’d ever seen,” she says. She calls the project “catalytic for a lot of reasons. It not only provides a hub for entrepreneurial development and interaction with students and startups, but it’s also a rallying point for the community in general, because seeing a project like this come to fruition means we’re worthy, and looking to the future.” “It’s an absolutely gorgeous structure, with its big glass dome — a beautiful, beautiful building,” says the DDC’s Shannon Joyce Howe. “It’s one of those historic structures that people would call and burst into tears about, worrying it would get torn down. Th e fact that the deal is moving forward is something I never thought I’d see after living in Dayton for most of the last 30 years. I cannot wait to walk in the doors. It’s almost an emotional milestone for Dayton.” Th ose feelings were even given artistic form. “Six months ago, when the project was really starting to pick up steam, a mural of a sleeping giant was painted on the side,” Sullivan says. “Th e day the fi nancial structure closed, they painted it so the giant had awakened.” Downtown Comes Back to onMain Yet another area of downtown rebirth is at the former Montgomery County Fairgrounds, right across the street from Emerson Helix and the GE EPISCenter, two R&D facilities the companies sited downtown that have fi red their own redevelopment sparks. Th e onMain site is owned by the University of Dayton and Premier Health, and envisioned as a walkable mixed-use development that will be home to the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) for starters, and eventually turn 38 acres into Dayton’s Imagination District. In May, Buddy LaChance, a system vice president of real estate at Premier Health and previously director of neighborhood development for CityWide Development Corp., took the reins as CEO of onMain. “Opportunities to create a vibrant neighborhood from the ground up on the doorstep of downtown Dayton just don’t come along very often,” he said. In an interview, LaChance, an architect by training, says he came to Dayton from Cincinnati in the early 1980s, gradually fi nding his way into work with nonprofi ts and real estate development, including a previous deal for the Fairgrounds redevelopment that fell through. Th e city and county came to Premier and UD and asked them to take over the sales contract to purchase the property. Th ey did, and after closing the purchase in April 2017, began working on a vision for its development. “It’s unlike anything that’s been done in the Dayton area,” he says, because it’s a wide open property, but also one that’s so close to those two major employers at GE and Emerson. And because the two institutions don’t require a speedy return on capital, they have a long- term view to do something diff erent, something that takes into account how people work together, connects to the fabric of the community and incorporates the west side of Dayton, which has not received the level of investment other parts of town have experienced the past few years. Th e S I T E S E L E C T I O N JULY 2018 11 D A YT ON | INTELLIGENCE REPORT overall plan could end up with over 1 million sq. ft. of offi ce and research space, more than 1,000 housing units and around 100,000 sq. ft. of retail. “Th e University of Dayton UD and Premier have committed to leasing about 40,000 sq. ft. out of the building that anchors the development. We think that’s a good start,” LaChance says. Next comes a developer to build out the research and innovation space, and housing. “We’ve already talked to a number of housing developers, and they’re chomping at the bit, quite frankly to get into this. It supports the type of housing they think the market is looking for.” While the UDRI has fi lled virtually all the space it bought from NCR when that company moved its HQ to Atlanta, LaChance sees onMain catering to smaller groups of researchers or businesses, entrepreneurs looking to collaborate. “Between what the university, Premier Health and onMain own, we can provide space for everything from a very small group of people wanting to work together to solve a problem, to a bigger business working with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,” he says, “all in a setting designed to be what employers are looking for in this very competitive market, particularly for young people.” A vision for onMain12 JULY 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO N D A YT ON | INTELLIGENCE REPORT Q&A: Mayor Nan Whaley and Work Outward Start at the Core Nan Whaley graduated from the University of Dayton in 1998, and hasn’t left since. First elected to the Dayton City Commission in 2005, she the youngest woman ever chosen for a Commission seat. She was elected as Dayton’s mayor in 2013 by a double-digit majority, and in 2017 was re-elected mayor without opposition, a fi rst in Dayton’s history. She has served on the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Conference of Mayors as well as the chair of the International Committee for the Conference. She serves as a vice chair for the National League of Cities, Council on Youth, Education and Families. She is also a founding board member for the Ohio’s Mayor Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of Ohio’s 30 largest cities. As mayor, she has focused on the areas of community development, manufacturing, and women and children. She launched the City of Learners initiative in 2014 as a citywide eff ort to support Dayton’s schools and students in achieving new levels of success and to build a stronger workforce for the future. It’s focused on fi ve priorities: OFFER aff ordable, high quality Preschool to all children. ENSURE all children attend a high quality K-12 school. When it comes to placemaking, Dayton’s mayor is a playmaker. Photo courtsey of defendourfuture.org S I T E S E L E C T I O N JULY 2018 13 D A YT ON | INTELLIGENCE REPORT INCREASE the availability of high quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities. GROW the partnerships between businesses and schools. EXPAND the number of young people who have a caring mentor. In June, Mayor Whaley responded to questions from Site Selection: Site Selection: What does the community’s response to the spring 2019 tornadoes say about Dayton’s resilience, collaboration and spirit? Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley: I am so proud to be mayor of a city that shows such grit and care for not only friends and neighbors, but complete strangers. We have had many challenges that have faced us in the past, but they all have one thing in common — Dayton comes out stronger. You have really focused on K-12 education and workforce development during your tenure. What are the chief concerns and priorities you hear from company leaders in the region, and how are you addressing them? Mayor Whaley: Attracting a skilled workforce is a challenge in every mid-size city. We continue to work with our partners on two fronts: retraining our present workforce and preparing younger people for the jobs of the future in this global economy. We are also investing in placemaking — building those neighborhoods that people want to be a part of that are still aff ordable, to attract and retain talent and a skilled workforce. Advanced manufacturing, health and life sciences, unmanned aerial vehicles, automation and engineering … are these the sectors you see leading the city’s economic development in the years to come? Mayor Whaley: I do think we will continue to lead in advanced manufacturing, unmanned aerial vehicles and engineering. We have a deep and rich ecosystem of businesses, education and, of course, Wright-PattersonAir Force Base, that gives us a competitive edge. I think there is great opportunity in health and life sciences, with the recent announcement of OneFifteen, which could change the way we treat addiction and mental health, not just in Dayton but nationwide.14 JULY 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO N D A YT ON | INTELLIGENCE REPORT From the opioid crisis OneFifteen is designed in part to address, to company departures, to the recent ignominy of the KKK rally, Dayton frequently fi nds itself portrayed nationally as reeling or down on its luck. How does the day- to-day reality of living and doing business in Dayton explode such misperceptions? Mayor Whaley: If you talk to people in Dayton, they don’t feel that way. People in our community and our business leaders are genuinely excited about the investment and opportunities that are happening. A number of projects are coming together downtown and on the West Side. How would you characterize the momentum and the reasons behind it? Mayor Whaley: Th e University of Dayton’s investment in both downtown and in west Dayton has made a great diff erence. We can’t do anything as a city without partners. Also, the national trends have changed, which is a win for Dayton. People want to be in unique, local spaces that are dense and diverse. We are excited the momentum for downtown is beginning to move into our neighborhoods — which was the plan! Wright-Patterson and the University of Dayton are well known for their impact as employers and innovation drivers. Which other institutions in the city fl y under the radar but have great economic development impact? Mayor Whaley: Caresource has been a key partner in Dayton and continues to see tremendous growth that has had great impact in our downtown. Th ey have personally built two offi ce towers in Dayton in the last 15 years. Another company that doesn’t get talked about a lot is Stratacache, a tech and innovation company that has purchased the most prominent building in our skyline as well as another tower and is committed to the growth of tech in Dayton. What is your favorite thing to do or place to go in the Dayton region? Mayor Whaley: In the summer I love to catch a free music concert at the Levitt Pavilion in the heart of downtown. Th ey are easy to schedule — there are 50 of them every year. Describe how you collaborate with the Dayton Development Coalition and with leaders in other communities in the Dayton metro area. Mayor Whaley: As I mentioned before, the city can’t be successful without its partners. Th e Coalition has made having a vibrant urban core one of its key strategies for the region. Th at focus has helped everyone to realize that we are all in this together. e Dayton Development Coalition has made having a vibrant urban core one of its key strategies for the region. at focus has helped everyone to realize that we are all in this together.”16 JULY 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO N “ D A YT ON | INTELLIGENCE REPORT e young professionals of UpDayton look to transform Dayton’s city center and Daytonians’ daily lives. Startups & Entrepreneurs Community Catalyst Because it’s a smaller community, they’re able to make a big diff erence.” Th at’s what Shannon Joyce Neal, vice president of strategic communications for the Dayton Development Coalition, says about a new young professionals organization UpDayton. “Th ey’ve really fi gured out how to connect and be passionate about Dayton.” Among the groups off erings is a Discover Dayton program designed to awaken college students, relocated employees and early career professionals, among others, to the places, activities and experiences the area has to off er. Th e UpDayton Project Incubator is designed to transform community project ideas into action. Downtown Dynamo Th is year’s UpDayton Incubator turned up eight projects selected from 19 submissions, which will be pitched in September at the UpDayton Summit at Th e Brightside Music and Event Venue downtown. At the event, over 300 participants vote to decide which project pitches will receive seed money. Past winning projects include Th e Longest Table event, which in its fi rst iteration in October 201 welcomed more than 300 Daytonians who gathered for a community meal and dialogue on the Th ird Street Bridge — Dayton’s Peace Bridge. Other winning projects have included the #DaytonInspires campaign and mural, and purchasing and installing 70 bike racks in business districts and neighborhoods. Leading the charge is UpDayton Director Lauren White, herself a returning Dayton native who went to the 2013 Summit and had a transformational moment of her own. “I had recently moved back to Dayton and was the classic cynic who wanted to just leave for a big city that had more going on,” she relates in a Q&A posted at UpDayton.org. “Th is guy kindly greeted me to ask what I wanted to be up to. After I told him my desire to move away from Dayton he kindly said, ‘Well we’re all here to create the Dayton we want. What would you change?’ It was a pretty profound moment where I awoke to my potential in helping make the city what I wanted instead of thinking that was outside my control.” Photo: Getty Images18 JULY 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO N D A YT ON | INTELLIGENCE REPORT Site Selection caught up with Lauren White for our own Q&A: Site Selection: What are the top three things people new to the region discover about Greater Dayton? Lauren White: I always hear people new to Dayton share how blown away they are at how well the community bands together for various projects and celebrations. We are one of the most giving communities they’ve ever experienced. Dayton also has an impressive parks and trails system — Five Rivers MetroParks — that is 80% funded through a tax levy. I love meeting people who used to live in bigger cities like New York, L.A., San Francisco or Chicago share how excited they were when they realized they can have a whole house and yard for what they spent on a bedroom in a shared space. Describe the level of institutional and corporate/large employer buy-in to the UpDayton organization. Lauren White: UpDayton is a nonprofi t that is entirely funded by institutional and corporate employers who understand the importance of engaging talent and empowering individuals to be active in creating a community they want to call home. We’ve heard a lot about downtown and west side rejuvenation. How are startup entrepreneurs seizing the opportunity and voting with their feet and pocketbooks in terms of establishing offi ces, workshops or residences downtown? Lauren White: Th e entrepreneurial ecosystem has been seeing steady growth with institutions like University of Dayton cultivating the energy by investing $10 million in restoring the Dayton Arcade to act as a hub for continued innovation. From the Summit or the Incubator, which projects have proved to have the most momentum and perhaps turned into viable long-term organizations? Lauren White: We have seen more support for projects that focus on community building and addressing social issues. Th e Conscious Connect brings literacy in book deserts. Story Chain connects incarcerated parents to their children through reading stories. Th e Longest Table brings together a diverse community to rethink their assumptions about other parts of town and the people who live there by sharing a meal and conversation together. Existing organizations work with UpDayton to expand programming or gain more awareness. Businesses collaborate with UpDayton to adopt projects as part of their social responsibility. Community members who are passionate about a cause lead a volunteer-powered community project. How are you engaging with citizens from towns around the region? Lauren White: People living in various suburbs of Dayton participate in UpDayton activities. Most of our work is in the core as it’s our city center that defi nes us at a regional and national level. In terms of talent attraction, millennials don’t fl ock to Denver or Seattle or Portland because they love the little towns around it, and I think that’s why our work naturally attracts people from all over the region. Lauren WhiteNext >