Concept to change Miami Crossing gateway interchange ‘good start'

A conceptual plan for aesthetic and branding upgrades to the northern interstate gateway shared by Miami Twp. and Miamisburg is a “good start.”

But officials want to lower the $3.1 million cost estimate for the entrance of the Miami Crossing District, formerly known as the Dayton Mall area, as they refine the plan and look to integrate it with a proposal to improve safety and pedestrian access along Ohio 725 at the Interstate 75 interchange.

“This is definitely a necessary first step,” said township Community Development Director Chris Snyder, a member of the Miami Twp-Dayton Mall Joint Economic Development District Board, which commissioned the work.

“It may not ultimately end up in this exact form, but this certainly is a needed step – to get us to the point where we can have a discussion about this,” he added.

The JEDD board is working with The Kleingers Group, which also designed landscaping at I-75’s Austin Boulevard interchange. While funding for Miami Crossing project has not been decided, board Chairman Tracy Williams said seeing a plan on paper is a positive step as the aesthetic upgrades have been “talked about for many, many years.”

Williams noted the general elements of the plan are “where we need to go.”

The Miami Crossing District is a 2.2-square mile area being rebranded by Miami Twp. and Miamisburg as part of a long-range plan adopted for the area in late 2015. The communities want to better attract people to — and guide them through — the area, which for decades has been a popular destination for shopping, dining out and entertainment.

At this point, the concept for the Ohio 725 interchange calls for ornamental plantings, evergreen trees and concrete strips at each of the interchange’s quadrants. It includes decorative brick pavers and a gateway entry sign on the northbound exit ramp of I-75 nearest the mall, records show.

Estimates on cost “are a little bit high (because) we’re still early on in the design phase,” said Lynne Nischwitz of The Kleingers Group. “But – as a starting point, as a place to get the conversation going – this is a high-level cost estimate.”

How aesthetic upgrades progress will depend, in part, on pedestrian and safety improvements being mapped out for Ohio 725 from Byers Road in Miamisburg to Ohio 741 in Miami Twp. A bike path and a concrete barrier are planned for the south side of the state route, while a sidewalk and a concrete partition is proposed for the north side, records show.

The project, estimated to cost $2.5 million, would require outside funding and completing the work in phases, officials have said.

Meanwhile, the JEDD has asked The Kleingers Group to work on aesthetic concepts the district’s eastern border at Ohio 725 and Southwind Drive near I-675. The two projects are expected to cost the JEDD about $28,000, according to the township.

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About the Author

Nick Blizzard

Nick Blizzard is a staff writer for the Dayton Daily News. He is a graduate of Stebbins High School who earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and its E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Nick is a Riverside native and has been a journalist in the Dayton area for more than 20 years.