Greater Miami Chapel 

The Greater Miami Chapel (GMC) planning area is a collection of five West Dayton neighborhoods, Miami Chapel, Lakeview, Pineview, Madden Hills, and Edgemont.

History

At their peak, these neighborhoods were a gathering place and a nexus of flourishing African American small businesses. Today, these neighborhoods have been deeply impacted by the loss and decline of manufacturing in West Dayton, and a corresponding loss of population and retail amenities. A community with roots that can be traced back to before the Civil War, West Dayton experienced much of its initial population growth in the early 1900s because of the industrial boom during WWI and the Great Migration. While some single-family housing was built in what is now the Lakeview and Edgemont neighborhoods, many families who came north during or after the war found themselves initially settling into crowded communities with very little infrastructure. The houses that were built during this time were clustered around factories and employment centers.

A new phase of housing development began in 1942 with the construction of Desoto Bass Courts, one of the first multi-family rental housing development in Dayton available to African American residents and WWII industrial workers. Beginning in the 1950s, West Dayton neighborhoods became a haven for African Ameri- can families unable to purchase housing in other parts of the city due to redlining practices.

HUD Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant

In 2016, Greater Dayton Premier Management was awarded a $1.5 million Planning and Action Choice Neighborhoods grant from HUD to transform the Miami Chapel area. The planning grant led to a two-year robust community organizing effort led by CityWide involving more than 500 people and resulted in a comprehensive community development plan, Renew Miami Chapel. The plan was adopted by the Dayton City Commission and the Department of Housing and Urban Development and proposed the redevelopment of antiquated public housing as the platform for community change.

Renew Miami Chapel – Key Strategies for Neighborhood Improvement

Housing

Improving housing quality and options for existing and future residents is the primary priority of the Renew Miami Chapel transformation plan. Fifty seven percent of residents desire to stay in the area and want better housing options that fit their needs. The following goals are intended to be the path forward to new and upgraded housing that serves the needs of all residents and is attractive, functional, and environmentally sustainable.

Goal 1: Redevelop the DeSoto Bass site to better connect to the Miami Chapel neighborhood and become a place where people choose to live.

Goal 2: Reduce the density of subsidized housing in the area and provide residents with more housing options.

Goal 3: Develop a menu of housing programs to encourage investment and attract other home-owners to the community, such as down payment assistance and home improvement loans.

Economic/Workforce Development

Personal wealth building, job training and access, and enhanced retail amenities are among the three most important issues to Miami Chapel residents. To that end, partners have identified three overarching goals designed to address the priorities through better job access, stronger social connections, increased wealth, and celebrated amenities.

Goal 1: Develop a thriving business district along the Germantown Corridor with services and retail the meet community needs.

Goal 2: Maximize the potential of Jobs Plus to create a sustainable community asset that provides support to residents in obtaining and maintaining employment.

Goal 3: Create opportunities for residents to grow personal assets and strengthen the community economic base.

Infrastructure

One of the major issues discovered during the planning and community organizing work was the way in which the construction of US-35 divided West Dayton and left residents of Greater Miami Chapel with only two streets that traveled in a north/south direction. This unintended consequence further isolated West side residents from the rest of the City.

Goal 1: Extend and connect Stewart St. to James H. McGee Blvd. to increase connectivity North and South and across the Great Miami River a historic racial divide.

Goal 2: Connect MacArthur St. to Dearborn Ave. to increase connectivity North and South particularly to the new West Dayton Library.

Goal 3: Improve appearance of major corridors through Greater Miami Chapel, particularly Germantown St. through resident designed wayfinding and place making projects.

To learn more about the Renew Miami Chapel Planning Process, please visit the project hotlink for a copy of the plan.