40. Community Need The Old North Dayton Park Expansion Project focuses on quality-of-life improvements for this neighborhood and the Dayton region. The Old North Dayton Neighborhood was ravaged by the Memorial Day Tornados that affected many Dayton communities in 2019. This Park will create a new amenity for residents in a neighborhood that saw so much devastation.
Outdoor facilities and gathering spaces have also proved to be an essential element of resident’s lives as the Covid Pandemic took hold of our nation. People across our communities “rediscovered” the outdoors, city parks, and other recreational amenities. Five Rivers Metroparks has reported an increase of over 25% in park attendance during the pandemic despite not offering any programming. Renewing City parks is a positive step for keeping residents engaged in an active outdoor lifestyle.

The improvement of Point Park can have an economic impact as well. The Greater Old North Dayton area is one of the City’s most important economic hubs, home to over 250 businesses and 10,000 jobs. The park serves as the major gateway to the Greater Old North Dayton job center. Beautiful corridors are welcoming and instils market confidence. The Greater Old North Dayton area already has a large economic impact on the City of Dayton, but developments like this can help retain businesses and workers in the area. Unique assets and the proximity of amenities can affect where people choose to both live and work. Creating spaces like Point Park set Dayton neighborhoods apart aid in that choice.

Allocated funding highlighted through the PDAC process would be used for both the construction of park and adding new features. The development of this shared community space helps create a unique sense of place and offers residents the ability to reconnect with nature. The redevelopment of neighborhood park spaces offer amenities and quality of life assets directly in our City neighborhoods providing easy and equitable access for all citizens.