NEWPHASE IN FIRE BLOCKS DISTRICT
Port Authority extends sales tax exemption for future construction.
The redevelopment of several buildings in downtown Dayton’s Fire Blocks District is moving to its next phase, said the CFO of the company spearheading the long-running central downtown project.
Columbus-based developer Windsor Companies has been working to revitalize close to a million square feet in a two block area around East Third, Fourth and South Jefferson streets since the summer of 2018.
“We’re always looking for growth,” Jatin Patel, chief financial officer forWindsor, said.
Dayton-Montgomery County Port Authority trustees voted last week to extend a sales tax exemption for the ongoing construction work byWindsor Construction in the Fire Blocks District, named for the fires that ignited in the area during the 1913 Great Flood.
The vote extends sales tax protections, first approved inDecember 2018, to Windsor Construction on purchases of materials for construction.
Windsor took over what had been a stalled development in the summer of 2018, looking to reinvigorate commercial and residential sites on both sides of Third Street between St. Clair and Jefferson streets.
Patel said the port authority has been “fully on board” with the company’swork sinceWindsor entered the market in 2018.
“They’ve seen our work along theway, and theywere impressed bywhatwe’ve done with the first phase,” Patel said.
The sales tax exemption now also covers properties at 28-38 S.
Jefferson St., East 4th Street, thePriceStoresbuildingproperty in the area of 48 S. Jefferson, the former JournalHerald Building at 111 E. 4th St. and the Bird Coin building, 132 E. 3rd St., all downtown.
“We’re just finally starting the next couple of phases of the project,” Patel said. “Thosebuildingshave always beenthere. Wehaddiscussed earlyonwith thePortAuthority about including those buildings. We’re just saving a little bit of money.”
The first phase of the project includedworkin theHuffmanand the Elk buildingson Third Street. “I don’t think you’re going to find many apartment units that probably look as good as the ones that you’ve got in Huffman and Elks,” Patel said.
Recently, the Salt Block Biscuit Co. opened in a building at 115 E. Third St. that is part of theWindsor redevelopment.
“That’s actually amazing,” Patel said. “They’re the first newtenant toopenuponthe
ground floor there.”
Anotherkeymomentinthe redevelopment is when the CenturyBaropenedonSuper Bowl Sunday at its newlocation, 18 S. Jefferson St. Century managers were going to take a second floor at the site, but the global pandemic and restrictions on capacity put those plans on hold, Patel said.
The Price Stores building also is one of the sites Windsor hasbeenworking to update within the Fire Blocks District. The building offers more 26,000 square feet of space at Jefferson andFourth streets.