Downtown continues to see more investment than any other part of Dayton, but there are plenty of other projects going on in the rest of the city.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we take a look at development projects going on downtown and around the city. We also tell you about the owners of The Blue Berry Cafe as they begin celebrating 50 years in the restaurant business.

If you have thoughts or feedback on this newsletter or other news tips, please let me know at [email protected].

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The newsletter should take about 4 minutes, 45 seconds to read.

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Dayton develops: $365M invested in city; more than 25 projects done or in works

Dayton benefited from about $365 million in new investment in the last year, and slightly more than half of those dollars were spent on projects outside of downtown.

• Downtown Dayton: The city says about $172 million was invested in downtown in the last year. This includes Windsor Companies’ $50 million investment in the Grant-Deneau Tower at 40 W. Fourth St., which has been renamed the Deneau.

• Under construction: $219 million worth of projects are under construction or making progress downtown.

• Current projects: They include the $45 million renovation of the Dayton Convention Center and the $41 million rehab and expansion of the northern part of the Dayton Arcade.

• Centre City building: A couple developers plan to spend about $110 million to renovate the vacant Centre City building at East Fourth and South Main streets. They plan to convert the 21-story tower into about 217 housing units.

• West Dayton: More than $40 million in projects were completed in West Dayton in the last 12 months. Homefull in January opened a new facility that has a full-service grocery store (called Gettysburg Grocery, or GG), a Ziks Family Pharmacy location and a Kettering Health primary care physician’s office.

• Northwest Dayton: Tens of millions of dollars have been spent renovating apartment properties, including Grand Place, Hoover Place and Hallmark Meridian.

• Southeast Dayton: Miami Valley Child Development Centers Inc. last month held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new $12 million Lincoln Hill Early Learning Center.

• onMain: The partnership between the University of Dayton and Premier Health plans to spend about $133 million on the first phase of redeveloping the old fairgrounds property.

Owners of The Blue Berry Cafe have 50 years of restaurant service in the Dayton region

The Blue Berry Cafe co-owner Kelley Andary learned a lot about the business from her mother, who owned The Barnsider from 1975 to 2016.

• 50 years: This year, the family is celebrating 50 years of owning restaurants in the Dayton region. From The Barnsider in Harrison Twp. to The Wellington Grille in Beavercreek and currently Harrison’s Restaurant in Tipp City and The Blue Berry Cafe in Bellbrook and Kettering, their story centers around hard work and family.

• Humble beginnings: Mary Miller was born in Canton, China in 1941, moved to Hong Kong as a child and emigrated with her family to Canada.

• Move to Dayton: Miller married Ken Seto, who was a chemical engineer, and the couple moved to Dayton in the 1960s for his job.

• The Barnsider: Miller opened The Barnsider in 1975. She named the classic steakhouse after a restaurant in New York.

• Daughter follows footsteps: Andary worked at the restaurant throughout high school and college. She graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications but decided to return to the restaurant industry in 1993.

• Family business: Andary and her uncle, Ray Jean, opened The Blue Berry Cafe in 2004.

What to know today

• One big takeaway: After years pushing for schools to limit students’ cellphone use during school hours, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine backed a new bill Tuesday that would “finish the job.”

• Tip of the day: Advice for planning a successful graduation party.

• Big move of the day: Longtime, family-owned business Agean Bath & Spa is gearing up to open a new location at the site of a Burger King on Clyo Road in Sugarcreek Twp.

• Dayton Food & Dining: Dolly’s Burgers & Shakes is opened its doors in Troy at the former location of Frisch’s Big Boy, with a soft opening yesterday.

• Inside Ohio Politics: On May 6, voters across Ohio will approve or deny Issue 2, a request from the state in the form of a constitutional amendment to issue up to $2.5 billion in bonds to help pay for infrastructure projects over the next decade.

• DDN survey: Where are you shopping and how are you getting by? Click here to fill out our survey.

• Community Gems: The Dayton Daily News Community Gems initiative highlights people who give their time and effort to improve the lives of their neighbors and community. Do you know someone like this in your community? Follow this link to nominate them.

• Thing to do: Here is a guide to some of the places you can visit the Easter Bunny in the Dayton region this year.

• Dayton Dragons: Here are 28 restaurants and bars within walking distance of Day Air Ballpark.

• Photo of the day: The Miami Valley Military History Museum in Fairborn recently hosted its 7th annual Vietnam Veterans Day pinning ceremony at the Fairborn Senior Center. Veterans and their spouses who served anywhere in the world from Nov. 1955 to May 1975 were honored. See more from photographer Tom Gilliam here.