Neighborhoods

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

In the fall of 2014, YNDC completed vacant land stabilization projects on 59 lots along the Glenwood Avenue Corridor and through our citywide Lots of Green 2.0 program.

In Idora, projects have included recent demolition sites and strategic expansions of current projects. On the Glenwood Corridor, projects have been highly visible cleanups on recent demolitions. A total of 7 projects were completed through the Lots of Green 2.0 program, including three community gardens, a small urban farm, and several neighborhood cleanups. These projects have provided safe places for children to play, cleaned up highly visible intersections, and will provide fresh produce for years to come.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

The PNC Foundation provided $10,000 to support YNDC's Model Block Program in 2014, which helped to offset the material costs of our comprehensive effort to stabilize Youngstown's neighborhoods, one block at a time.

In 2014, YNDC has significantly strengthened its Model Block programming by increasing the scale of its volunteer workdays and through the creation of the AmeriCorps REVITALIZE team, a group of 10 community service members who will serve with YNDC boarding up, cleaning up, and rehabilitating vacant properties on Model Blocks throughout the city. To date, YNDC has cleaned up and otherwise improved over 120 vacant properties in 2014 alone. YNDC anticipates this figure to increase to over 200 vacant properties a year by the end of 2015.

To learn more about the Model Block program, please see the Model Block page on our website.

It is no secret Youngstown has been losing population.

The reasons why are in the numbers and Tim Yova with the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments has worked through them on the last several census reports.

Figures show during the middle of the 20th century, Youngstown’s population was falling, but the rest of Mahoning County was growing.

“People may have moved from the city to the county, the townships or other small cities and villages,” Yova said.

All that changed when the steel mills closed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Since then, populations for both Youngstown and the county have declined, but the city’s numbers have dropped much faster, from roughly 116,000 in 1980 down to last year’s estimate of just 65,000.

Yova said there was also a shift in 2010, where there was more youth than aged residents.

While agencies like the Regional Chamber work to reverse the trend of families leaving the Valley, local real estate agents admit selling properties in the city is difficult.

“Out of towners tend to have a negative feel about the term Youngstown,” said Alicia Kosek of Howard Hanna Real Estate.

Kosek said those looking to move into the area are unsure about living in the city.

“They are unsure of the school system because there is a lot of negativity out there about the school system, and they are also unsure of the crime in the city because there is a perception,” Kosek said.

Adding to the problem is a 2006 change in state law preventing cities like Youngstown from forcing its employees to live inside city limits.

Since the last complete U.S Census, analysts claim the city of Youngstown has lost a greater percentage of its population than other cities in Ohio. Researchers with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation compared data from 2013 back to 1970, and found that while every big city in the state except Columbus has lost population in that time, Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley seem to be shrinking faster.

Officials with YNDC said the area of the city that has been seen the worst decline is on the south side, where the city’s population had been historically the greatest, especially along the Glenwood Avenue corridor.

“And there were more than 27,000 people living right around that area and today, the number is down to around 8,000 so that is a loss of about 70 percent, which is greater than the loss that the city of Youngstown experienced at the same time,” YNDC urban planner Tom Hetrick said.

“From about the Market Street bridge to Boardman, from Mill Creek Park to the other end of the south side, there was about 70,000 people that lived within that area, so that is more people than live in the entire city of Youngstown today,” blogger Sean Posey of Rustwire.com said.

Tom Humphries with the Regional Chamber said tax breaks will help bring new businesses to the city, but the Youngstown City Schools, which have had failing state report cards since 1998, continue to push workers to the suburbs.

“That is the first question they ask when we sit down and start talking to them after they have made a decision to come here is which school districts are your best,” Humphries said.

Humphries said the Chamber has been working for the last year on plans to lure people back into the city to live and show potential business developers there is what he calls “human capital” available.

“When a company runs a blind ad to see if they can staff the facility they are going put here, if they don’t get adequate response, they are not coming,” Humphries said.

That is something that could harm the Valley’s already shaky economy regardless of where its people are living.

To read the fullstory from WKBN, click here.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

On Wednesday, November 5th, YNDC Executive Director presented and moderated the Local Housing Priorities session.

The session included discussion of housing strategies in Dayton, Toledo, Youngstown, and Washington Courthouse. Participants on the panel included Aaron Sorrell, Director of Planning and Community Development; Alan Cox, Housing Commissioner, City of Toledo; Joe Denen, City Manager, City of Washington Courthouse; and Ian Beniston, Executive Director, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

A copy of Ian's presentation can be downloaded below. REVITALIZE.

Monday, November 10, 2014

YNDC and the City of Youngstown held Neighborhood Action Plan meetings across the city throughout October and November in six neighborhoods: Lincoln Knolls, Garden District, Rocky Ridge, Boulevard Park, and Handel’s.

Approximately 325 residents attended the six meetings. The plans were presented to neighborhood residents for feedback and discussion. The plans address residents’ top priorities: 1) housing and property issues; 2) infrastructure repair and maintenance; and 3) crime and safety concerns. Detailed property surveys and data analysis were performed to identify priority issues and to develop appropriate, realistic strategies for addressing them. Plans were presented to the public and are also available for download. In the coming weeks, Neighborhood Action Teams will be formed in each neighborhood, made up of city officials, YNDC, the Mahoning County Land Bank, neighborhood associations, residents, and representatives from relevant community institutions. These Action Teams will spearhead the implementation of the Neighborhood Action Plans.

Neighborhood Action Plans can be downloaded here.

A citywide meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 12 at 6:30pm at the Covelli Centre Community Room located at 229 E Front St. At this meeting the Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Report will be distributed and discussed. This report contains strategies for addressing housing, infrastructure, crime, and economic development issues across the city, in order to improve conditions for all city residents.

Monday, November 10, 2014

On Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November, 8, Ian Beniston, YNDC Executive Director, Dominic Marchionda, NYO Property Group and YSU Center for Urban and Regional Studies, and Sarah Lown, Western Reserve Port Authority participated in the National Resource Network's event in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The purpose of the event was to bring together twelve distressed cities from across the US together to build a mutual learning network that will result in actionable progress in each of the cities.

The National Resource Network (the Network) is a core component of the Obama Administration’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative, and develops and delivers innovative solutions to American cities to help them address their toughest economic challenges. The Network works with local leaders to identify practical solutions, share real-world expertise and best practices, and help cities develop the tools and strategies they need to grow their economies.

Funded with $10 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Network is a new program that leverages the expertise, partnerships, and resources of the public and private sectors to help cities comprehensively tackle their most pressing challenges. The Network provides cities with customized tools and advice to build strategic partnerships, strengthen their economic competitiveness, and marshal public and private sector resources. More information can be found here. 

Monday, November 10, 2014

On Saturday, November 8, volunteers planted the new Billingsgate Boulevard with trees and perennials.

The new section of boulevard was installed in the location of the historic Billingsgate Boulevard which served as the primary entrance to Idora Park. Many groups participated in the workday including the Idora Neighborhood Association, C.S. Lewis Institute of Northeast Ohio, Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Kent State University Catholic Campus Ministry, Fifth Ward Councilman Paul Drennen, YSUscape, and YNDC.

The boulevard infrastructure was installed through the support of Fifth Ward Councilman Paul Drennen and the City of Youngstown. Councilman Drennen also supported the purchase of trees and plants for the boulevard. Many thanks to Councilman Drennen, Mayor McNally, the City of Youngstown, and all the groups participating in the workday. REVITALIZE

Officials at the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. outlined the city’s development plans at a meeting Nov. 12 in the community room at the Covelli Centre. 

Ian Beniston, executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., explains the city’s four-part development plan during a community meeting Nov. 12 in the Covelli Centre. Brittany Wenner/TheNewsOutlet.org

Ian Beniston, executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., explains the city’s four-part development plan during a community meeting Nov. 12 in the Covelli Centre. Brittany Wenner/TheNewsOutlet.org

IAN BENISTON: “Lets go ahead get started.”

JOHN VEAUTHIER: In 2013, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. met with residents throughout the city about a plan for revitalizing the city. YNDC’s executive director Ian Beniston began by recapping those 13 meetings.

BENISTON: Many of you attended some of those in your neighborhood. What we really heard were four major themes related to housing and property issues, infrastructure, crime and safety, and economic development and jobs.

VEAUTHIER: Beniston explained more about those four priorities to the 100 or so residents who attended. Reducing crime by creating a re-entry program is one of the priorities.

BENISTON: Really that means people, when they are returning to the community from jail, from prison – basic skills so they can get a job. They can become employable. They can be productive. They can get off the streets. They don’t have to commit a crime again.

VEAUTHIER: City youths are another focus of the development plan.

BENISTON: But having productive things for them to do, when they are out of school all summer – keeping them off the street, keeping them doing things that are productive.

VEAUTHIER: Other goals include demolishing more vacant houses – especially around churches and schools, fixing such basics as broken street lights and uncut grass, all of which will hopefully lure businesses back to the city.

To hear the full story from The News Outlet, click here.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. has created a plan to address the four key priorities residents have about the city.

The YNDC, which serves as the city’s planning agency, unveiled the plan at a Wednesday public meeting in the Covelli Centre’s community room with about 100 people in attendance.

The four priorities were determined after the agency had 13 meetings throughout the city in late 2013 and early this year.

“People are interested in seeing basic improvements in their neighborhoods,” Beniston said.

The priorities, in order, are:

Housing and property issues such as the need for more code enforcement, demolition, housing repair and dumping. This was clearly the No. 1 issue in the city based on input from residents at the previous meetings, said Ian Beniston, YNDC executive director.

Repairing and maintaining infrastructure such as streets, sidewalks and street lights.

Reducing crime, and increasing safety.

Encouraging economic development to bring more businesses and jobs to the city, and improving the condition of its major corridors.

Each priority includes an action plan. For housing and property issues, YNDC’s plan suggests a strategic approach to code enforcement, property registration and demolition that aligns with neighborhood planning to maximize the impact of the city’s efforts.

The plan also includes “best-practice” recommendations from other cities and organizations that are successful and can be applied in Youngstown, available funding sources, and changes to city ordinances that align with the report’s strategies.

To read the full story at Vindy.com, click here. 

With the amount of abandoned buildings in Youngstown, many ask why not just tear them down.

While cost is a stumbling block, there are local programs that are working to help with the problem.

There are just about a dozen homes that are abandoned on Almyra Avenue alone, with windows boarded up or broken and others left in shambles.

“There are some that have been vacant for 10, 15, 20 years,” said Jennifer Jones, program coordinator for Green Youngstown. “Unfortunately, this area of the city [south side] is one of the hardest hit with population loss.”

The utilities have been shut off to many of the homes and are marked, but that does not mean the the house is coming down immediately, only that the process has started. Eventual demolition comes down to cost.

On average, the city of Youngstown spends about $8,000 to demolish a house. And that price tag does not include asbestos removal, which can be expensive.

“The abatement costs would be upwards of $50,000. So, to try and get as much bang for our buck and tear down as many homes as we can, we may put that on the back burner and try to identify a different program or something else that we can do with that structure,” said Abby Brubaker, Youngstown Blight Remediation Superintendent.

In the meantime, organizations like Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation help offer an alternative. They currently own 11 vacant houses that are in varying stages of renovation.

“We are trying to sell them to people again that are going to have some investment in the neighborhood, but also care about maintaining the property and generally raising the standard of maintenance on the block,” said Ian Beniston of the YNDC.

Earlier this year, YNDC worked with United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley and Green Youngstown to clean up 25 homes on the city’s north side, hoping that cleaning up small areas will spark neighbors to do the same on their properties.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here.