40. Community Need The Wright Dunbar District is a gateway community and portal for all of West Dayton. The business district, located along West Third Street, is a major artery that connects to the downtown and is the entry into the City from West Dayton. It traditionally served as a major retail area, professional services, institutional and residential corridor. While most of the retail services that once existed along West Third Street over the decades are gone, the Wright Dunbar Business District has been experiencing a progressive reactivation that began in the 1990’s. The last 10 years have begun to see market-driven interest, activity, and reinvestment. Continued investment in the district will advance the long-desired goal of creating sustainable small business opportunities for this truly diverse community and make it a more vibrant city asset.

The City, in collaboration with Wright Dunbar Incorporated (WDI), the Wright Dunbar Neighborhood, the National Park Service, the National Aviation Heritage Alliance, and CityWide Development Corporation, are nearing the completion of a refreshed, updated vision for Greater Wight Dunbar (Wright Dunbar 2.0). The draft visioning document has guided, shaped, followed, and responded to the West Dayton Neighborhoods Vision plan created by Urban Design Associates.

The proposed Wright Dunbar Development Fund leverages multiple planning efforts as well as significant recent and proposed investments within the area including the $21.7M West Third Street Bridge, the Wright Dunbar West Third Street Cycle Track project, and a new 6-tenant Food Hall (the West Social Tap & Table). Through the City and its partners, over $34.7M will be invested in this area over the next four years. Projects supported through the Wright-Dunbar Fund will create 300 housing units, activate 35,000 square feet of retail space, and create 364 construction jobs and 50 permanent jobs.