Initiative Targets Blighted Commercial Properties for Redevelopment - The Business Journal


An initiative spearheaded by Economic Action Group Inc. aims to do for commercial properties in Mahoning and Trumbull counties what organizations like the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership have done for residential properties.

   

YNDC and TNP are among several local partners in Commercial Property Revitalization, an Economic Action Group collaborative program that aims to redevelop blighted properties in the Mahoning Valley for reinvestment and reuse.

The EAG’s Commercial Property Revitalization project represents several “agencies and entities” interested in revitalizing commercial properties, says Anthony Trevena, economic development director for the Western Reserve Port Authority, another of the partners in the initiative.

The other participants comprise the land bank programs of Mahoning and Trumbull counties, the cities of Youngstown and Warren, Boardman Township, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments and Youngstown State University.

YNDC is doing “great work,” primarily with residential properties, but there was a gap when it came to similarly addressing commercial sites for renovation or, if necessary, demolition, says Nick Chretien, Economic Action Group program manager.

EAG, which has contracts with Youngstown and Warren for development work, provides data to support the efforts of the collaborative. 

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