The Rayme building, an iconic landmark in Dayton that has sat vacant for years, will soon be developed into a mixed-use property.
The Dayton Planning and Zoning commission approved stage one development plans at its meeting Thursday. The property along Dayton’s central business district on 6th Avenue was initially built in the 1880s with the intention of mixed-use development space. Now the building will again serve that purpose with a combination of apartments and commercial space.
Orleans Development, based in Covington, plans for ten residential apartments and three storefronts in the building. The apartments will be loft-style, made up of studios and one-bedroom units across all four floors.
The building also has a full-size basement.
The first floor of the Rayme building will have one studio apartment and three commercial spaces. The apartment will have direct access to the street and is the only apartment in the building with direct access.
In April, the Dayton Planning and Zoning Commission recommended a zone text amendment (Section 10.15) of the Central Business District Zone, modifying the text to allow residential uses on the first floor of a commercial building. The city of Dayton approved that text amendment, which allows the developer to put apartments on the first floor.
The project manager for the development, Chelsey O’Connell, said the commercial spaces could remain three individual spaces, or they could be split into two. It could be flexible based on the tenants. She said they currently have no tenants in mind to occupy the commercial spaces, but they are open to suggestions. O’Connell envisions the space to look like a project she worked on in Covington, the Bradford Building, which houses Haven Café/spa and a boutique store.
“It just really created this vibrant block, and that’s what we want to do here in Dayton,” O’Connell said.
The second floor consists of one studio apartment and three loft-style apartments. The loft units on this floor act as the “lower level” to accommodate the building’s large windows and high ceilings. The “upper loft” on the three units will go up to the third floor.
Aside from accommodating the upper lofts from the second floor, the third floor will have the building’s only one-bedroom apartment.
The fourth floor will consist of four studio apartments.
Berry Street will serve as the primary entrance for the apartments, and 6th Avenue will be the main entrance for the commercial spaces.
The site has historically been served by on-street parking, which will continue as there is no land available for a parking lot.
The development plans to allot 15 parking spaces for residential use and nine spaces for commercial use. It is estimated to have eight to nine spots along the street available. An additional six spaces are open across the street along Berry Avenue. Parking is also available in two public lots along 6th Avenue.
Campbell County Planning and Zoning Director Cindy Minter noted that the street parking spaces are not near any homes in the area. She also said street parking is standard among Dayton residents.
Due to the historic nature of the building, there will be no elevator.
Because this was a reuse project, there was no zone change for this development; therefore, the company can begin construction whenever they are ready. According to O’Connell, they have about two months to sort out financing for the project. Then construction will begin.
Minter estimated the project will take about two years to finish.
