Progress continues in Uptown Centerville
City Council and staff have been busy over the last several months in Uptown. They continue to accomplish work in the six goal areas of the Uptown Action Plan: walkability and traffic reduction, parking, events, business development, branding and greenspace.
Revised Uptown Master Plan
The planning and engineering team from MKSK and LJB released a revised concept master plan for Uptown at a project update in late August. The revised plan, which builds off the strategies outlined in the 2019 Uptown Action Plan and the 2020 Concept Master Plan, was the result of several months of work with a steering committee of representatives from City Council, Planning Commission, the Board of Architectural Review, local businesses and Uptown residents.
Several key components of the plan include redesigning existing parking areas to increase capacity and simplify vehicle flow, creating a boulevard on West Franklin to improve pedestrian connectivity, implementing new green spaces and capitalizing on opportunities for appropriately-scaled infill development.
LJB/MKSK contract Part II
The city is working with LJB Inc. and MKSK Inc. to build off of work on the revised Uptown Master Plan. In September City Council authorized Part II of the preliminary engineering and planning contract.
The scope of the Part II work includes portioning the overall Uptown project into smaller construction phases in preparation for work to begin in 2022.
Mural installation
Installation is complete on the first piece of the Centerpieces Mural Program, which greets visitors on the north wall of Square One Salon (1 N. Main St.). The geometric
elk, which was created and painted by Jennifer Sayger of Murage Studios, was selected from about 20 submissions by a committee with representatives from City Council, the Centerville Arts Commission, BAR and the building owner.
The city hopes to install as many as nine additional murals throughout Uptown in the next several years.
Ridgeway Drive demolition
Earlier this month, city contractors completed demolition of the city-owned house at 32 West Ridgeway Drive. Formerly the residence of the Perkins family, the city acquired the property
in 2019 in preparation for future improvements to Uptown. A common theme during interactions with the Perkins family was the desire to leave a legacy that enhanced the community, while preserving the integrity of the neighborhood they loved.
Over the past year, the house has become a valuable asset for police departments, first responders and SWAT teams from around the Dayton region. These groups used it to practice critical lifesaving tactics prior to demolition to prevent the property from falling into disrepair or becoming a safety hazard. Neighbors were invited to harvest plants they wanted to move from the property.
The lot will remain a greenspace until the city is ready to proceed with the northeastern portion of the Uptown plan.
New investment
Earlier this month, the BAR approved plans for Manna, a new restaurant concept from Salar co-owner and executive chef Margot Blondet. The adaptive redevelopment project combines the two existing structures at 57 and 63 West Franklin Street into a common building that can accommodate an 110-seat restaurant. Blondet anticipates construction will begin later this year.