Riverway Summit focuses on growth along Great Miami

SIDNEY — Local and state leaders will gather Friday for the 2023 annual Great Miami Riverway Summit at the Historic Sidney Theater to share initiatives and updates about the ongoing development of riverway communities.

The all-day event, hosted by the city of Sidney, will feature speakers like Amy Acton, former director of the Ohio Department of Health, who now leads an initiative to connect the region’s major waterways and trails, and Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development who will speak on statewide initiatives, and the intersection of economic development and tourism.

The Great Miami Riverway is the corridor of cities and counties along the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio. It starts in Sidney, flows through Dayton, and stretches all the way to Hamilton County.

The GMR is a regional destination that’s home to one of the nation’s largest networks of paved trails, which includes more than 99 miles of paved trails and connected communities.

As a program of the Miami Conservancy District, in collaboration with local communities, the Riverway’s mission is to promote growth along the river’s banks in support of economic development and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.

Friday’s annual event aims to attract community leaders, real estate developers, tourism professionals, business owners, and those interested in the Great Miami River, to learn about the state of the river and its future potential.

Sidney City Manager Andrew Bowsher, will speak on the city’s recent growth, and facilitate a panel discussion between developers who are investing in many Riverway communities.

According to Great Miami Riverway Director Dan Foley, the event will include updates from the mayors of each Riverway community, as well as from Miami

and Montgomery county commissioners.

More than $500 million in riverfront investments have been completed over the last 10 years in communities along the Great Miami Riverway.

Last year, West Carrollton partnered with developers for a multi-phase river district project. Plans unveiled in May 2022 included proposals for hotel, retail and restaurant developments, professional and medical office spaces, and townhomes along the eastern portion of the river front, with a waterfront-oriented entertainment district and marina.

The city of West Carrollton also began a $10 million project last year to modify the South Montgomery Low Dam, creating a 900-foot whitewater channel that can be used for water sports including kayaking and wave surfing when completed.

In Miamisburg, the former DP&L coal plant off Chautauqua Road, which shut down in 2013, is being transformed into a 200-acre mixed-use development expected to have both residential and recreational features.

For more information, visit greatmiamiriverway. com.