Mayor Ben Baker presented his second annual State of the City Address at Tuesday, January 3rd’s City Council Meeting. In the address, Baker recounted the many successes of the administration in 2022 and some upcoming goals and objectives for the year ahead. Read the full speech here:

City Council and the Dayton Community:

It is my great pleasure tonight to present the second City of Dayton State of the City address, an annual speech designed to convey our city government’s current state of affairs. This address kicks off a new year and marks the midpoint in the City’s budget year, both of which are important indicators of the City’s trajectory as we navigate these unprecedented times in our history.

Development

Last year, we saw great interest in the City of Dayton from numerous real-estate developers and entrepreneurs, who are continuing to add new businesses and residents to our community. This coming year, I’m happy to report, this trend will continue.

In the Manhattan Harbour development area, several new developments were constructed last year, and several others are planned in the new year. Arlington Properties, the Birmingham, Ala.-based developer that built Tapestry on the River, began construction this year of another 265-apartment complex on a site located at the east end of Manhattan Boulevard where it intersects with Mary Ingles Highway, adjacent to the Manhattan Harbour Marina. Construction is expected to be completed this year.

A five-family development and two two-family townhouses were completed this past year at Manhattan Harbour and construction started on a 12-family and two 14-family residential developments near Berry Street, which are expected to be completed this year. A new residential single-family residence is currently under construction at 571 Manhattan Boulevard, and another has been designed is expected to be constructed at 439 and 449 Manhattan Boulevard.

A new multi-family residential project known as “Riverwalk,” which will be built just east of the Queen City Marina, is expected to start construction this year. This project will consist of 54 two-bedroom, condo-grade apartments. Also planned to start construction in 2023 are “Boulevard Flats,” a 10-unit apartment building and a 12-family condo development located in the “Lookout” section of the development area. Design plans for the developer’s signature project at Manhattan Harbour – the Promenade, which will be located immediately south of the Queen City Marina – are currently underway and are expected to be submitted for approval soon.

One of the most exciting development projects taking place in the city right now is the rehabilitation of the historic Burton Building — also known as the Raymee Building — at Sixth Avenue and Berry Street. Orleans Development Company purchased the four-story, 138-year-old brick building in July 2022, and the $2 million construction project is will fully renovate this building into commercial space on the first floor and 10 luxury, loft-style affordable apartments on the upper floors.

Further into the interior of the city, RedKnot Homes has completed five new single-family residences at Pottebaum Point, which is at O’Fallon Avenue and 10^th Avenue. Three other homes with panoramic views of the Cincinnati skyline are currently under construction and are expected to be completed this year. Also, numerous single-family homes are being purchased and rehabbed in our city. The City of Dayton is a “hot” market in the region right now for real-estate investors and homeowners.

These are just a few examples of the newfound entrepreneurial spirit that is taking Dayton by storm. In our Central Business District, several other buildings have been – or are currently – being renovated. Many of these businesses have taken advantage of the City’s Dayton Business Assistance, or DBA, program. Last year alone, the city granted nearly $30,000 in façade-improvement funding to the owners of three buildings on Sixth Avenue. In addition, the program provided rental assistance to three new businesses — Train with Rocco, TulleKit Hair and Makeup, and Pretty in Ink Tattoo. In the coming year, several other businesses will be opening their doors in downtown Dayton, and we expect to have some exciting announcements about these new businesses in the coming weeks.

As we look toward the future, we want to continue our current efforts to attract entrepreneurs to start new business ventures and create new jobs in our city and provide them with the support they need to be successful. We also will continue to encourage developers and others to responsibly rehabilitate our historic homes and storefronts in in our Central Business District accordance with the city’s historic district guidelines.

Code Enforcement

In 2022, as in past years, increased code enforcement has been a central theme in the City’s progress. This past year, the City established a database of all vacant and blighted structures in our City, and we created our third “Top 10 List” of vacant and abandoned properties after our success addressing blighted properties in our first two lists. Many of these properties have been renovated, sold to third parties, or demolished by the city or third parties.

As a complement to these code-enforcement activities, the City Council also passed a Residential Rental Property Inspection and Safety Program ordinance last year, which became effective Jan. 1 with inspections set to begin in the second quarter of 2023. This self-supported program allows the City to inspect all its residential rental property to ensure that these properties are safe and sanitary and compliant with all local and state building and property-maintenance regulations. City administration has been diligently working over the past several months to craft this program that will benefit landlords, tenants, and the community-at-large.

Strategic Planning

Following the blueprint set in 2021 and continued in 2022, the City will continue to apply new methods and techniques to involve residents in the City’s decision-making processes and to keep our citizens up to date about the City’s state of affairs. Residents can receive regular updates from city administration about local news and information from several sources, including our website blog and web pages, social media, email newsletters, and a bulletin board at Monument Park, just to name a few.

The City will continue to use of public meetings, vision sessions, strategic-planning meetings, community surveys, and personal discussions with residents and businesses to create short- and long-term goals for this coming year and beyond. These strategies allow City administration to receive input from multiple City stakeholders, including City Council members, residents, business owners, and city board members.

When City Council held its strategic planning session last spring, it came up with 20 projects, programs, and initiatives it wanted to see implemented in the city. The list was used to craft the City’s budget and direction for the following year, all of which can be seen on our website, www.daytonky.com. Over the coming weeks, the City will again employ citizen surveys to gather input in preparation of our strategic planning session, so I encourage all residents and business owners to participate in this survey. Our Main Street, Historic Preservation, and Park Boards are all in the process of creating comprehensive plans to prepare these organizations for Dayton’s exciting future.

Public Infrastructure Improvements

Several public infrastructure projects were completed in 2022, including several near or in the Manhattan Boulevard development area. The last portion of Manhattan Boulevard was completed, linking this road that runs from the City’s border with Bellevue to Mary Ingles Highway. Preliminary work on the long-awaited Berry Street connector project – which will provide needed connection to our central business district and allow our police and fire departments quicker access to this neighborhood — has begun. Construction of this project expected later this year. Other improvements over the past year include construction of a new intersection at Manhattan Boulevard, O’Fallon Street, and Fifth Avenue, which has improved vehicular and pedestrian safety at this intersection, as well as construction of a new trail section connecting the parking lot of Queen City Marina to the existing Riverfront Commons trail.

Construction of new sidewalks on the west side of Dayton Pike from Seventh Avenue to Chateau Ridge and on Upper Belmont Road were completed this past year and are being heavily utilized by our residents. Design plans for the final phase of sidewalks along Dayton Pike from Chateau Ridge to the City of Fort Thomas has been completed and City hopes that construction of this project can start in 2023.

This past year, the City of Dayton spent more than $200,000 to repave sections of nine streets in the City, based on a road-improvement priority-ranking system created by our city engineer. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet repaved Mary Ingles Highway from Clark Street to Tower Hill in Fort Thomas and KYTC will repave Route 8 from Clark Street to Clay Street this spring. This past fall, the City, in conjunction with SD1, funded a stormwater mitigation project at Fourth Avenue and Kenton Street, which was completed this fall in anticipation of this repaving work.

Notable projects for 2023 include construction on Phase II of the Riverfront Commons river’s-edge trail project and installation of pedestrian bump-outs on Sixth Avenue. These projects will reinvigorate our riverfront and commercial business districts.

Legislation

City Council also passed several significant ordinances last year, including the first city-wide smoke-free ordinance in Northern Kentucky. As previously mentioned, the city also passed a comprehensive residential rental property inspection ordinance requiring landlords to register all residential rental properties in the city and submit those properties to inspections.

The City Council also passed legislation regulating Sober Living Facilities operating in the city, a Right-of-Way ordinance requiring utilities and others doing work on city right-of-way to properly repair streets and sidewalks and maintain equipment placed in the city’s right-of-way, beefed up its public and private littering and dumping ordinance, and passed several other important public-safety measures.

City Events

A priority of the City’s administration during 2022 was the activation and use of Monument Park on Sixth Avenue. This city-owned property in the heart of our downtown is a prime location for community events. City staff worked diligently during this past year to create a slate of successful programming for residents and visitors to enjoy there.

Notable events during the past year included the Final Friday music events, which brought monthly concerts and entertainment for our community to enjoy. This event — paired with multiple happenings in the park — including movie nights, community happy hours, dance lessons, and more are attracting residents and visitors to our City and creating additional commerce for our local businesses. We are excited to continue this effort and grow our offerings in 2023.

The City is working hard for our residents. We’ve had many successes this past year and we will bring that energy with us into the new year. The City of Dayton is in an excellent position to move our businesses, our residents, and our community forward. Together, with the help of our community members, the sky is the limit for future success. I look forward to working with City staff and the entire Dayton community over the next 12 months and beyond to continue our progress.

Thank you.