The Education Corridor of the Dayton Riverfront Plan provides the most dynamic opportunity for economic redevelopment. The corridor covers the south stretch of the Great Miami River from downtown to Carillon Historical Park, connecting some of the region’s strongest institutions: University of Dayton and Premier Health’s Miami Valley Hospital. UD and Premier Health have teamed to redevelop the fairgrounds site at Main and Stewart streets into OnMain, a mixed-use imagination district that will boost the economic vitality of the city and add to the stability and health of the surrounding neighborhoods. These four assets: University of Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital, Carillon Historical Park, and OnMain, form a strong southern anchor for greater downtown. The Education Corridor seeks to create the nexus to spark investment and exciting new uses along the waterfront.
The defining open space feature to link this southern anchor with downtown is a linear park at the levee top. The plan proposes to close Veteran’s Parkway to vehicles and create a pedestrian promenade from Stewart Street to Sinclair College, the northern bookend of the Education Corridor. Trees, benches, and gardens will create a lovely outdoor connection. This link will provide students, faculty, and staff from UD and Sinclair the opportunity to walk or bike along a beautiful river walk to collaborate. UD will have an option for reaching their hub at the Arcade. And those living and working downtown or in this southern node will have the opportunity to travel along a beautiful walkway to the opposite destination for a restaurant, pub, or other entertainment.
This open space investment won’t only provide a beautiful linear park linking two key districts in the greater downtown. It will stimulate economic redevelopment along the Education Corridor. Imagine apartments or condominiums similar to Water Street along the promenade. Imagine restaurants and bars at the levee top overlooking the river. Imagine the likes of Old Scratch Pizza and Ghostlight Coffee, led by OnMain, from Main Street to the river. There’s an exciting future in store for the Education Corridor.
