Community Edges

While Oakwood continues to be an attractive and well-maintained community, the City should focus attention on two “community edges” that may be impacted by nearby uses and other developments outside the City of Oakwood. These include the Irving Avenue area, across from the University of Dayton, and the Shroyer Road corridor, which is adjacent to the City of Kettering.

Irving Avenue. The City of Oakwood is located directly south of the University of Dayton. The University Plan, prepared in August 2002 (see Appendix C) suggests a number of improvements along the Irving Avenue corridor. These include:

a) Articulating the campus edges with landscaping, stone walls, and nicely kept houses to be more compatible with the City of Oakwood.
b) Guidelines for Irving Avenue, documenting improvements for each house along the street and addressing the need for a definable campus edge. The guidelines will specify improvements to help emulate the quality and care of the facades of Oakwood neighbors, while at the same time providing a unique identity and entrance to the student neighborhood.
c) Parking will be provided in large lots to the rear of the houses along Irving Avenue. This will provide more parking spaces and enhance the appearance of Irving Avenue and the residential streets.
d) Improve existing neighborhoods with front porches and gabled roofs.
e) Provide a strategy for locating new houses of a similar style and renovating existing houses.

The City of Oakwood should work closely with the University of Dayton to help ensure that these policies and improvements are undertaken in the future.

Shroyer Road. The Comprehensive Plan for the City of Kettering was completed in August 2002 (see Appendix C). The plan provides a long-range vision for redevelopment, housing, and urban design.

While the Plan does not specifically mention Shroyer Road as an area for improvement and enhancement, the Plan does highlight the need to work with neighboring communities to resolve issues of mutual concern. The City of Oakwood should continue to work with Kettering to further enhance this corridor.

The City recently completed a resurfacing program along Shroyer Road that has significantly enhanced the appearance of the corridor. Other opportunities for improvement might include:

a) Enhancement of the older homes and multi-family developments along the corridor.
b) Improvement of sidewalks, with attractive parkway treatments and street trees;
c) New street light fixtures.
d) Attractive public signage.

It would also be desirable to improve the commercial area within Dayton, located between Acorn Drive and Shroyer Road. This area provides a major entrance to Oakwood at Patterson Road. Many of the commercial properties in this area are marginal and deteriorated.