This work marks the start of an Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) development, tied to Synergy and Mills Development’s plans for eight commercial buildings over the next 10 years on nearly 44 acres across two parcels, known as Hilltop and Gerlaugh farms.
A new fence will be constructed on the Hilltop parcel near the AFIT parking lot and National Road gate 19B, the 88th Air Base Wing said.
The fence construction allows Synergy to take the federal property, creating a new place to do business on the base’s doorstep, said Jerad Barnett, president and chief executive of Synergy.
“We’re doing a lot of what I will call pre-development work to prepare the site,” Barnett said. “Utilities, relocating the fence, that type of thing.”
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
The land will remain federal property, but it will be home to what advocates in February said will be one of the biggest commercial projects in Dayton-area history.
Eventually, the fence along National Road will be removed, allowing public access to the site.
An EUL is an agreement in which an organization or business leases federal property for a government-approved purpose.
While the objective is straightforward, the project is complex and has many moving parts. Beavercreek and Fairborn are involved. One parcel is in Beavercreek Twp., while another is in Bath Twp.
“One of our big tasks right now as we do this pre-development work is working with the local municipalities on who is going to provide services to that site,” Barnett said. “That is one of the items we’re working on as we speak.”
The area will be called the “Convergence Research Center,” located minutes from much of Synergy’s previous work on Pentagon Boulevard.
Convergence is expected to eventually be home to 2,500 jobs, advocates say.
The site will “allow defense and academia, as well the military, to collaborate faster, innovate faster,” Barnett said. “Our vision is to create a place for discovery, invention and the exchange of ideas.”
The development comes as the U.S. military, including the Air Force, is training its focus on China and Russia as the nation’s principal threats.
“This great power optimization is all about speed,” Barnett said.
The timeline for the project involves plans for physical site work beginning this fall.
“We have to have our foot on the gas,” the CEO said.
Meanwhile, work continues on Synergy’s “Project Kona.”
Work will be completed in the first quarter of 2026, representing the sixth building Synergy has built in past five years.
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