63-home community to be constructed on former elementary school site in Northridge
An elementary school in the Harrison Township neighborhood of Northridge was demolished in 2020 when the school district consolidated its grades under one roof. Now, the site of the former school is being redeveloped into a 63-home community.
John H. Morrison Elementary, located at 2235 Arthur Ave., closed in 2019, demolished in 2020 and consolidated into the Northridge PK-12 school, located at 2011 Timber Lane. Oakes Tree Development, a Dayton-based real estate development firm, now is spearheading a $4 million redevelopment of the former school site with the plan to construct a community of single-family market rate homes.
These homes will bring an estimated 200 residents to Northridge.
Other companies involved in the project are Centerville-based Reinke Engineering as the project engineer and Virginia-based Ryan Homes as the homebuilder. Nathan Edwards, economic development administrator for Harrison Township, said the project is fully underway with only a few steps remaining.
“The main thing will be dealing with county inspections at this point,” Edwards said. “The county handles building inspections and platting. Another big thing is making sure everything’s good with our fire inspector. He’s already reviewed the plans and agrees with the ins and outs. We’re pretty much ready to go.”
This project marks the first time since 1962 the neighborhood of Northridge has received a newly platted housing development. This set of houses would be the first to be constructed in the area in decades.
The development will be constructed on the corner of Stop Eight Road and I-75, occupying 13 acres of land that formerly housed the elementary school. The location offers direct access to Miller Lane, giving future residents easy access to downtown Dayton and a street full of restaurants, grocery stores, and other local businesses.
The average home in this development will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms and will range from 1,400 to 2,200 square feet. The sale price will range from $260,000 to $330,000, with the average price being $300,000. The target demographic for the new houses are first time homebuyers.
“These are going to be some of the more expensive homes in our township,” Edwards said. “We do believe that they’re going to sell pretty quick, as we’ve seen around the entire Dayton-area. Many of these developments are going fast.”
As of now the projected construction timeline has the development scheduled for completion in mid 2029. The project is currently undergoing surveying and engineering.
“Harrison Township is a municipality that recognizes where they are today and where they want to go,” said Lance Oakes, founder of Oakes Tree Development. “It’s a breath of fresh air to see a municipality these days that doesn’t just say they want housing in their community, but actually believes it.”
Founded in 2021, Oakes Tree Development is a privately-owned real estate development firm serving the Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus markets.
-Article courtesy of the Dayton Business Journal: Max Abbatiello, Staff Reporter