Change for more than 300 acres at Miami Twp. airport clears first hurdle

UPDATE @ 8 p.m.

The Miami Twp. Zoning Commission voted 4-0 Tuesday night to recommend the rezoning of 321 acres at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport.

The plan — if approved by trustees — is to strengthen signage, landscaping, lighting and design standards, officials said.

The Dayton-owned airport “currently has no design guidelines, so any type of building can be constructed,” Miami Twp. Deputy Director of Community Development Kyle Hinkelman said.

The plan “brings us in a unified nature” with development in the nearby Austin center area, said Mike Cross, environmental engineer for Dayton International Airport.

The rezoning is set to be considered next month by township trustees.

FIRST REPORT

The city of Dayton wants to rezone more than 300 acres at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport.

The land includes six parcels totaling about 321 acres at the general aviation facility on Springboro Pike in Miami Twp., records show.

The request by the city would include most of the airport land, which is more than 520 acres. It aims to change the zoning from “airport district” to planned mixed use, records show.

RELATED: FAA approves runway expansion plan at Dayton-Wright Brothers’ Airport

The request is set to go before the Miami Twp. Zoning Commission on Tuesday night.

In recent years, studies and discussions on DWB future land use have involved the Miami Twp.-Dayton Joint Economic Development District Board operated by the city and the township.

A report by Juniper CRE Solutions examining the “highest and best” use of land east of the runway — potentially as much as 80 acres — recommended flex research and development, and light industrial.

RELATED: Not your ‘typical aircraft hangar:’ Business builds $5 million site at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport

Those uses present “an excellent opportunity for the township to capitalize on the strong aviation and defense sectors present in the Dayton market and capture the higher paying wages that come with these types of sectors,” according to the study.

Another study, by LJB Inc., outlines options for that land that all include a light industrial park housing at least 500,000 square feet of building space.

The study suggests three configurations for light industrial park scenarios ranging from 11 to 18 buildings.

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