Have any requests for proposals gone out for what to do with the Parkside homes site? Or has anyone questioned if tearing down 2 old buildings and one relatively new one is really the best plan for the area North of the Ballpark?
Not that I’ve heard. And, apparently, no one is allowed to ask questions. What Mandalay wants, Mandalay gets-Â without having to put up any completion bonds, or even show complete pro-formas.
Could this be a great location for a Downtown hockey stadium? Sure. Could Parkside be a Sportsplex instead of a Super WalMart? Sure. Are we going to talk about it, debate it, or look at other offers? Hell no.
City pitching deals for 4 properties at Ballpark Village site [1]
The plan for Ballpark Village, overlooking the river north of Fifth Third Field, includes a gourmet grocery, shops, restaurants, a fitness facility and entertainment venues. At the Parkside site, the partners envision a shopping area anchored by a couple of “big box” retailers.To create a clean slate for Ballpark Village, Dayton is seeking the Requarth Lumber and Woolpert Inc. buildings on Monument Avenue and the Patterson Career Academy, 441 River Corridor Drive. All the buildings would be demolished.
It’s this kind of “development daze” that leads to sprawl, overbuilding, and abandonment of existing infrastructure. It’s also a distraction for the City to get involved in things that aren’t essential city services- that we may be able to do better, if we weren’t chasing down every “development deal” that walks through the door.
How long has the city been floundering with “tool town” now “tech town”?
Let’s get out of the development business- and concentrate on fundamentals. As my old hockey coach used to say, “if you can’t skate, shoot or pass, you can’t play the game.” Dayton is still having problems with basic service delivery, customer friendly procedures, and being able to discuss options in public intelligently.
Why not start now with this “project”?
I remember that Dave Hall Park downtown off of Main Street was always a great park and location that nobody ever took advantage of (I do like the Flyover sculpture, probably the only one) Could a outdoor/open air hockey rink that is somewhat submerged (as the saseball stadiuum is) there, linking people into the Oregon District and maybe sparking some life in that area? Do open air hockey rinks for semi-pro teams still exist or are feasible?
P.S. This is a great blog site.
Hi John,
Dayton is a little too warm to do an open air pro rink-
but Dave Hall plaza would be a good location- with the transportation center garage and the Oregon district nearby.
Thanks for the props.