1. The downtown housing market “may be the hottest it’s ever been,” Whaley said, pointing to data indicating downtown has a housing occupancy rate of 97 percent. Data from the Downtown Dayton Partnership say there are 1,344 market-rate housing units downtown, and 636 more coming in the near future.
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2. Dayton’s blight problem is shrinking. The mayor said about 40 percent of the eyesores in the city have been demolished, and the city will remove several hundred more this year.
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3. The mayor said 43 new businesses opened in the downtown area in 2016. These included restaurants such as Table 33 and Old Scratch Pizza, and retail and service businesses including Luna Gifts & Botanicals and KJ Naturals.
RELATED: Retail, restaurants lead downtown business activities
4. Four major capital projects account for about $250 million in new investment that is nearing completion. These include Dayton Children’s new patient care tower, the renovation of the Marriott Hotel at the University of Dayton, Sinclair College’s new Health Sciences Center and the construction of the new Dayton Metro Library downtown facility.
RELATED: Downtown investment reaches $1B mark
5. More investments are on the way using revenue from the income tax hike voters approved in November. The city will mow its 62 parks monthly and its 72 boulevards weekly. Street resurfacing work will increase fourfold, and the city will help offer universal access to high-quality preschool to all of the city’s 4-year-old children, the mayor said.
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