DAYTON — One topic on Wednesday’s agenda of the Dayton City Commission is the future of the Wright Company factory site, a city-owned property.
The Department of Planning, Neighborhoods & Development has requested the commission to approve the spending of $280,000 for professional real estate development consulting services with Dillin, LLC at the 54-acre factory site.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Future of Wright Company factory in Dayton questioned after large fire
“This project will allow Dillin to engage and build productive relationships with residents, businesses, and other community stakeholders to design and create an overall Master Development Site Plan for Wright Factory and the surrounding geography,” a document submitted by Todd M. Kinskey, Director of the Department of Planning, Neighborhoods & Development read.
The submitted proposal asks the commission to fund the services with monies from The West Dayton Development Trust Fund - City Commission Discretionary Fund.
“Dillin has an expertise in creating and designing projects that harmonize with their neighbors, inject investment to enliven communities, and add to the character and alluring result of a master-planned effort,” Kinskey wrote.
The Wright Company airplane factory is the oldest aircraft facility in the world that caught fire at the end of March where firefighters were on scene for at least 15 hours trying to save it.
“On March 26, 2023, the Wright Factory endured a three-alarm fire that damaged four hangers. A report from a structural engineer is expected no later than April 14, 2023. The damaged hangars will be considered as part of the Master Development Site Plan effort,” Kinskey wrote.
The Wright Brothers founded the Wright Company in 1909, according to the National Aviation Heritage Area.
The Wright Company Factory’s buildings 1 and 2 were built in the next two years, and it was the first factory in America to manufacture airplanes.
The factory is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the National Aviation Heritage Area said it has been working to have the factory preserved.
“We are deeply saddened by the fire that damaged our historic Wright Company airplane factory, the first purpose built buildings for the aviation industry,” Mackensie Wittmer, Executive Director, said in a statement on its social media page. “We are grateful to the fire department for their quick and brave response, and we are working to assess the extent of the damage and the impact on our heritage.”
The cause of the fire still remains under investigation.
©2023 Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/DH43IHXZ6RE2DF3FSSAQ2PTFXI.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/HKRH5S55IVHRJONFUVDHAMZVAU.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH52T6LWK5AYVMVFNDNMZRDLIE.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/YETE5YNDZJE47GH3NCXLQ2IUBM.jpg)
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/11-15-2024/t_2b7e06cbd20a40f5b390448b7146856a_name_Screenshot_2024_11_15_093906.png)