In the early 1990’s, Norman Fear, a successful Dayton area real estate broker and developer got the idea to build a bicycle friendly community adjacent to the Little Miami Scenic Bike Trail with a park and large dedicated green space on a 324 acre farm located just south of the City of Xenia. He envisioned a community that would provide a range of housing options and amenities addressing an individual’s needs over their lifetime, from young couples to families with teenage children to empty nesters. The farm’s location, topography, heavy woods, streams and wetlands made it a unique property to develop with a number of opportunities for recreational uses.
Over the next few years Norm formed an investor group, P.F.D. Development, purchased the farm, had it annexed into the City of Xenia, had sewer, water and gas extended to the property and developed a Master Plan unique to southwestern Ohio. Ground was broken for the first section of Wright Cycle Estates in the Summer of 1996 and over the next ten years until Norm’s death in the Fall of 2006, over 200 building lots along with a park and a large pond were developed, over 150 houses were built and the 92 unit Wright Place Senior’s apartment building and 19,000 square foot Xenia Grace Chapel were constructed.
After Norm’s death P.F.D. Development chose Coldwell-Banker Heritage Realtors to market and sell the existing residential lots. Plans call for development of an additional 300+ residential lots and construction of a convenience store/gas station, a restaurant, offices, retail shops and neighborhood businesses on the nine existing and future commercial lots located along Wright Cycle Boulevard. Future sections allow for multi-family development adjacent to the Wright Place property.