With just a few weeks until the unveiling of the final plans for the future of Dayton’s riverfronts, Dayton Riverfront Plan partners want to share more about the goals of the 20-year plan and once again invite the public to attend public meetings on Tuesday, June 12:
DAYTON RIVERFRONT PLAN PUBLIC MEETINGS: Tuesday, June 12, at the Dayton Metro Library Main Branch, Community Room, from noon to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
“We’re excited to unveil the plans for the 10 parks we’ve studied during this process,” said MetroParks chief of planning and projects, Carrie Scarff. “We received so much insightful input from the community that the plans reflect what is truly Dayton’s history, culture and dreams for the future.”
The final Dayton Riverfront Plan will address six goals, including:
- Economic engine: Leverage the rivers to catalyze development in greater downtown and ensure long-term vitality to the region.
- Something for everyone: Provide programs and experiences, and ensure their equitable distribution across the riverfront
- Heart of Dayton: Enhance Dayton’s identity through place-making initiatives that celebrate the historic legacy, cultural heritage and vibrant future of its rivers.
- Healthy city: Build in places and programs that support health, safety and wellness for all who live, learn, work and play along the riverfront
- Many rivers, one city: Improve access through physical connections to and across the riverfront and to the surrounding community
- Living protection: Promote the ecological health of the riverfront while continuing to protect from flooding
The Dayton Riverfront Plan can accomplish creating a healthy city by providing opportunities for a healthy, active lifestyle along the riverfronts including:
Civic Loop: A walking and biking loop will be created around the Great Miami River in the core of downtown, both at street-level and river-level, for visitors and residents to enjoy. This loop will be linked by six bridges from Riverside Drive to Fifth Street, providing the opportunity for residents and visitors to use the trail for exercise, recreation, or for transportation as a healthy alternative to the car
This loop will provide an opportunity for people to exercise a variety of different distances, from one to three miles. Additionally, four of the plan’s focal parks will dot the loop, offering additional exercise amenities along the way for strength training, stretching and balance. Accessible to downtown and neighborhoods to the north and west, the loop will be accentuated with art, lighting and people watching—a dynamic linear experience that will encourage people to walk, ride, rollerblade, and run or somersault their way to a healthy lifestyle.
Down by the river: For those who want to go beyond downtown, opportunities to travel or exercise will be improved along all four waterways.
To the west, an off-street bikeway is proposed on both sides of Wolf Creek to give access to West and Northwest Dayton. The bikeway is also proposed to extend all the way to Trotwood where it connects with the existing 13-mile Wolf Creek Bikeway.
To the north, North Bend Boulevard is proposed as a beautiful pedestrian promenade linking Deeds Point to the abundance of parks that stretch nearly three miles. Plans for Kettering Fields, Island MetroPark, Triangle and DeWeese parks and Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark all include amenities for physical activity, including Link bike stations.
Along the Mad River Bikeway, parallel mountain bike features are proposed to encourage different types of riding and connections to MoMBA, MetroParks’ mountain biking facility at Huffman MetroPark.
To the south, a pedestrian promenade is also proposed along Veteran’s Parkway that will connect the University of Dayton and Miami Valley Hospital campuses and the new Fairgrounds development to downtown.
To get a more in depth look at previous goals read past Dayton Riverfront Plan blog posts, and to be the first to learn about the future of Dayton’s riverfronts mark your calendar for the public meetings on June 12.