Commission advances rezoning for 118‑unit affordable assisted senior living at 200 South Wright Avenue

City planning staff presented a rezoning and plan development request Sept. 10 to rezone 200 South Wright Avenue from ER4 (eclectic single‑family) and OS (open space) to EMF (eclectic multifamily) with a plan development overlay to permit a proposed 118‑unit assisted senior living facility. Planner Cameron Goshinskey told commissioners the site is about 8.79 acres, prints on East Fifth Street, South Wright Avenue and Burkhart Avenue, and is the former Orville Wright Elementary School site, demolished in 2010 and vacant since.

Why it matters: The proposal would add affordable senior housing in the Wright View neighborhood in alignment with the Northeast Neighborhood Visions Plan and the city comprehensive plan goals to provide housing that supports aging in place.

Staff described the concept plan as proposing roughly 77 percent of the site to remain open space, a larger setback (about 127 feet) from existing single‑family residences along South Wright Avenue, additional street trees and landscaping in compliance with the zoning code, and an on‑site crosswalk and sidewalk. Renderings show a four‑story building oriented toward South Wright Avenue; staff emphasized final building design, site layout, landscaping and screening will return to plan board for final plan review if the rezoning is approved.

Mike Huber, an attorney with Dinsmore & Shohl, said the project is a privately owned, fully affordable assisted senior housing product that expects to pursue Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) tax credits and Medicare waiver funding; Marion Development Group representative Jared Burgess said OHFA review typically takes five to six months and the developer intends to submit an application in the coming weeks, with construction readiness targeted roughly six months after application.

Public process and recommendations: Staff conducted outreach including a site visit (to a prototype in Jeffersonville, Ind.), an applicant public meeting at the Dayton Metro Library Southeast branch, and neighbor meetings. Both the Northeast Land Use Board and the City Plan Board unanimously recommended approval. Planning staff recommended approval this evening. The commission held a public hearing; one registered public speaker (Anne O’Brien) raised safety and trespass concerns regarding the site’s wooded area and long‑standing encampment activity. After discussion, the commission moved to advance the ordinance: zoning case PLN2025‑0000212 will be implemented by Ordinance No. 32160‑25, which received first reading only.

Next steps: If the rezoning is adopted in later readings, Marion Development Group must return to Plan Board for final plan approval, secure OHFA funding, complete permitting with the city, and finalize construction financing.