Tech Town

The Tech Town District, which evolved from CitiPlan Dayton: The 20/20 Vision, is a technology-oriented live/work/play district planned for the eastern edge of downtown Dayton. Consisting of about 40 acres (6 blocks) of unique housing, a high density of technology employers, and lots of diverse leisure options, Tech Town is designed to appeal to younger, flexible IT professionals—recently dubbed the "creative class."

The district will serve as a setting where business, academia and government work together strategically to support the region's core competencies. A major emphasis of this collaborative spirit will be technology commercialization—taking technologies developed at WPAFB and other regional R&D facilities, and applying them to commercial uses.

Tech Town offers a unique technology support system that will encourage collaboration as well as commercialization of technology that was formerly limited to academic and military use. Businesses and local universities will contribute even more to the research and development going on at the base. Tech Town could be described as a two-way street that will further strengthen Dayton's role as a technology leader.

Tech Town reflects Dayton's transformation from a city known mainly for its manufacturing companies to a city recognized for its technological strengths. Tech Town is intended to encourage, accelerate and celebrate this transformation.

Many elements of Tech Town are already in place. The City of Dayton has acquired 30 acres for Tech Town and has control of an additional 25 acres. The Entrepreneurs Center, a technology business incubator, is filled to capacity. In the past three years, 30 new businesses have opened within the Tech Town District, resulting in the creation of 1,200 Dayton-based jobs.

The Tech Town District includes or is within walking distance of numerous recreational destinations and other amenities, including: Fifth Third Field, home of the Dayton Dragons minor-league baseball team; hundreds of loft-style housing units; Riverscape Park; numerous nightclubs, bars, coffeehouses and restaurants; an arts district featuring the new Schuster Performing Arts Center; and much, much more.