On Wednesday August 3, 2001, the Planning Commission voted to accept the "Plan B" presented by Routsong that supersedes the "Plan A" that was accepted by the City Council last year.  There was considerable discussion amongst the Commission members, members of the public, Mr. Routsong, and Mr. Routsong's legal and development team.

Please feel free to leave comments below.

Winter Storm!

Our Beautiful Neighborhood: 2010

Volusia Sunset, December 2010

Photographer:  Ken Rosenzweig

Schantz Park Historic District Plaque

 This is from the Oakwood Historical Society! What a wonderful way to celebrate our Historical Neighborhood!!!

The Oakwood Historical Society has received several requests to reissue the National Register of Historic Places plaque for the Schantz Park Historic District.  It is unlikely that this plaque will be available again through the Oakwood Historical Society, so please send in your orders!

All orders are due by December 10th and must be pre-paid.
Please email stammgowdy@sbcglobal.net

Changes are Happening

Take a look at the photos and note the missing name on the signage. The before-and-after (almost) photos of the garage are included to remember the alley intersection.  

 

Routsong Development - The Before

Before the demolition begins of the historic home and all the beautiful trees get ripped out, we want to record how this quiet corner and gateway to Oakwood once looked.  We will continue to publish photos until the development is completed.  We've also included a photo of the funeral home as it looked in 1915.  You can still see part of the historic home in the photos entitled "Looking East on Oakwood Avenue" and a bit in "Looking Northwest from Alley".  Check back often and remember comments are welcome.

Original House: 6 Oakwood Avenue

Looking East on Oakwood Avenue

Looking North on Oakwood Avenue

Looking West on Irving Avenue

Looking West: Alley

Looking Northwest from Alley

Looking South on Oakwood Avenue

“When you’re part of a neighborhood, you become a caretaker of it.” “If I don’t go now (to the meeting), I can’t complain later.” Is the plan with changes a “shell game?” Is the city prepared to handle “city services?” And, what about all those “empty chairs!”**

The vote at the council meeting on May 3rd may have been a disappointment, but the support from all of you who were able to attend certainly was not.  While we didn’t have “busloads” (as one neighbor put it), the turnout was noted in the “Neighbors” section of the Dayton Daily News and in The Oakwood Register.  Thank you to everyone who supported our wonderful neighborhood whether by writing to council members and city staff, attending this and all meetings, or speaking for the neighbors.   

* The neighbors points were so well delivered that we encourage everyone to view the video of the city council meeting. (see below)
  * Only one speaker spoke for Mr. Routsong.  His comment about the plan and “improving it further” is perhaps a hopeful sign that further compromise is possible.
  * Mayor Duncan in his summary before the vote and in mentioning the “claim against the city” said that it (approval) was in the “city’s best interest.”
  * At the end of the meeting, Vice Mayor Steve Byington “commended the neighbors in the north area for their participation in the Routsong development application process.”

The question now is how do we proceed?   To that end, we will be looking at better ways to communicate and other ways to get more neighbors (and even the wider Oakwood community) educated and involved. 

So once again, thank you for all you continue to do for each of us—your friends and neighbors in north Oakwood.
 
**To watch the video, go to the city’s home page, http://www.ci.oakwood.oh.us/, and click on “Council Meeting Videos” on the left bar.  The Routsong portion of the meeting starts approximately 40 minutes into the proceedings; you can forward the video to that point.