A soft opening is planned for Saturday and Sunday, between noon and 5 p.m., and visitors will be able to tour the model unit. An official ribbon cutting for the project will take place at noon Tuesday.
The new market-rate townhomes are being built on the site that was once home to the Gem City Ice Cream Co. For years there were calls to save that building, from people citing the Wright brothers’ connection to the site, but no project moved forward and the building was torn down.
The property is near the eastern edge of the Wright Dunbar business district. Wright Dunbar is across the river from downtown Dayton, and the gateway into the neighborhood is on the west side of the Third Street Bridge.
Simms Development says the townhomes are 1,325 square feet and offer modern living spaces with open concepts.
The homes, which have two-car garages, also have a 15-year, 100% property tax exemption on the improvements, meaning that homeowners will only pay taxes on the value of land underneath their homes for a decade and a half.
The homes start at about $275,000, though buyers can customize the interior features.
The 26 townhomes will be spread across four buildings, said Robi Simms, co-president of Charles Simms Development. Two buildings will have seven units, and the other two will have six.
The first building is nearly complete, and it contains two spec homes that will be ready for move in by the end of June or possibly in July, Simms said.
Three homes have already been sold, Simms said, and it will take about two or three years to finish up all 26 units. The second building is expected to be finished this fall.
Simms said there is strong, pent-up demand to live in this beautiful and historic part of the city.
Wright Dunbar has been re-energized with new investments including the opening of Dayton’s first food hall in a very long time, a cigar bar and lounge and other new businesses.
The Townes at Wright Dunbar is the first new townhome project in Dayton since Monument Walk was completed in 2020, Simms said.
Simms Development already has built 117 townhomes in downtown Dayton. When finished, the Townes at Wright Dunbar will increase the tally to 143 new homes.
This is only the second time Simms Development has developed a townhome project in a neighborhood outside downtown, following its Rubicon Square project in the Fairgrounds neighborhood.
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