‘Coming back to life;’ City declares 38-acres to onMain project

A big financial step forward was made, with the plan in mind to redevelop the former Montgomery County fairground site.

>>PHOTOS: Renderings and progress for onMain project

The City of Dayton officially declared the 38-acre site a “blighted area,” Wednesday, Oct. 11.

This will allow developers to have more access to funding to turn the onMain project into reality.

OnMain is a partnership between the University of Dayton and Premier Health, but it was the city that made the big move to make the redevelopment of this site take shape.

According to the onMain Master Plan, the space will feature public spaces, advanced technology, buildings, health and wellness opportunities, streets, and much more.

“I’m very much in favor of that and would like to see it move forward,” Dayton resident James Wall said.

Wall has lived in the Rubicon and Fairground neighborhood for decades, and he’s glad city commissioners voted to designate the now empty, former fairgrounds site a “blighted area.”

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: City commission asks Dayton to declare former fairgrounds site a blighted area

Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein said the designation allows the developer to apply for more funding and gives them more flexibility to use it.

“So, it’s a supportive tool for us to be able to maximize impact for the redevelopment opportunity,” Dickstein said.

Executive Director of News and Communication for the University of Dayton Cara Zinski-Neace said the developer could finance the project through the state of Ohio Tax Increment Funding program.

The site could be eligible for property tax abatement, according to Zinski-Neace.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: City commission OKs onMain plan for former county fairgrounds

The 38-acre site is very large, and the redevelopment plans are complex.

OnMain crews have already started to work on the site extensively.

So far, 19 buildings have been removed, 340 tons of scrap metal have been recycled, and 170 tons of barn foundations have been rescued from the area.

OnMain leaders said with the blight designation, crews are planning additional clean-up work, which will involve clearing overgrown or dead vegetation, repairs to the concrete wall along Patterson Boulevard, and asphalt removal.

“There are still many steps for the overall financing plan of onMain to come together, many of which need to be in place before construction begins on the site,” Zinski-Neace said.

Dayton resident James Melzoni is excited about the project and the city’s future. When asked if he came here as a kid, he said he did.

“Downtown was almost dead at one time and it’s coming back to life,” Melzoni said.

The first project on the site is an anchor tenant commercial building which is expected to be built near the corner of Main Street and Stewart Street.

There is no exact timeline on when the project will get shovels into the dirt, but the community and the OnMain crews are excited.