Neighborhoods

Staff with the Mahoning County Land Bank are celebrating the agency’s 15th anniversary in operation.

Directors say they want to emphasize their focus on existing homes in the area. After demolishing roughly 2,000 blighted properties, the agency is looking to put more emphasis on meeting the housing needs of the county — whether that’s new housing or remodeling and renovating existing homes to make them safe, livable and affordable.

“I would rather see that we do things now to care for the stock, the housing stock that we have to improve and lengthen the life of those houses, and to match people up who are looking for those opportunities,” said Deb Flora, with the Mahoning County Land Bank.

The last couple of years, the Landbank has worked with directors of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation to build new affordable houses around the county.

To read the full article from WKBN, click here. 

The beer will be ice cold at the Groundhog Craft Beerfest, but the event will be warm and friendly.

The fest will take place Saturday in the Stambaugh Auditorium ballroom. It will offer a much-needed opportunity for folks to come out of their burrows during this extra-chilly winter.

Guests can sample beers from 18 regional breweries at one of the two sessions: 1-4 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. General admission tickets are $60 per session. Preferred tickets are $100 and offer access to the premium lounge experience. Call the box office at 330 259 0555 or go to StambaughAuditorium.com.

Beer won’t be the only star of the show. Folks who prefer wine or nonalcoholic drinks will also have options.

Guests will be able to sample wines from L’Uva Bella and cider and wine from Sundog Ciderhouse and Winery and D.O.P.E. Cider House.

Mocktails by Sip Station and nonalcoholic beer tastings are on the menu this year.

Jack Kravitz, co-chairman of the event, said these options are designed to please guests who prefer to not imbibe.

The list of beer makers at the event is a long one:

Good Lady Brewhouse.
Muskellunge Brewing.
The Kilted Cow.
Brew Lounge Beer.
Aeonian Brewing.
Forest City Brewery.
The Local Brewing Co.
Biker Brewhouse.
Missing Falls Brewery.
Schnitz Alde Brewery.
Paradigm Shift Brewing.
Thursday Dog Brewing.
Penguin City Brewing.
Garrett’s Mill Brewing.
Paladin Brewing.
Pump House Crew.
1547 Project.
Modern Methods Brewing.
Groundhog Craft Beerfest, now in its eighth year, is presented by the Rotary Club of Youngstown. This year’s event will also feature a showcase of beer from local home brewers; a premium lounge, with rare beers that will not be offered on the festival floor; gourmet charcuterie from Jimmy’s Italian Specialties and Inspired Catering; a commemorative beer stein donated by Steelite; brewmaster visits; and sponsor exclusives.

There will also be live entertainment and food for purchase.

DJ Jim Sutman of Purple Cat will perform for the first session, and the band French Blue will take the stage for the second session, according to Kravitz.

Food vendors will include Trina Williams’ Fresh Wind Catering, Babcia’s Polish food truck, DiRusso Sausage and One Hot Cookie.

Kravitz expects at least 400 people will attend the event.

Last year’s Beerfest raised $42,000 for Rotary’s charitable efforts.

This year, the goal is to raise $50,000 to support local nonprofits, youth programs and neighborhood revitalization across the Mahoning Valley. So far, this year’s event has raised $40,000 in sponsorships, Kravitz said.

Since its inception in 2019, the event has raised over $150,000 to support more than 30 local organizations. Proceeds go to organizations such as the YWCA Mahoning Valley, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and the English Center.

To read the full article from The Business Journal, click here.

City Council on Feb. 2 approved measures to revitalize Ward 2, paving the way for new homes in the low-income area.

The action allows Build Ohio to construct 10 new, single-family homes in an area that includes Liberty, Seneca and Freedom streets.

Build Ohio is a joint venture between Canton For All People and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

To read the full article from The Repository, click here.

A former gas station property on the South Side is among seven sites that Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. is seeking funds to remediate, the city’s community planning and economic development director said.

To read the full article from The Business Journal, click here.

The city’s Board of Control approved Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.’s grant application Thursday for a federal grant to remediate several environmentally contaminated sites in the city, including a former gas station property on the South Side.

To read the full article from The Business Journal, click here.

The city’s board of control agreed to the sixth change order for a major downtown improvement project to sections of Boardman and Walnut streets.

The board voted 2-0 Thursday to the change order that increases the project by $49,646 to a total of $2,932,043 for Parella-Pannunzio Inc., the Youngstown contractor doing the work.

Finance Director Kyle Miasek and Law Director Adam Buente voted in favor of the change order. Mayor Derrick McDowell was absent.

The contractor will put down a second and final layer of asphalt in the spring and there is the possibility that there could be another change order, said Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works.

“It’s not uncommon that this happens,” Shasho said of the change orders.

Panella-Pannunzio submitted the low bid of $2,756,473 in April for the project. At the time, the city’s estimate for the project was $2,929,431. With the change order approved Thursday, the cost has exceeded the initial estimate.

City council had initially approved spending up to $2.8 million for the project.

But the board of control on Sept. 11 approved an increase to $2,861,833 for a water tie-in and trenching for lighting. Council voted Dec. 1 to increase the maximum spending for this project to $2.95 million.

If there are additional change orders that go over $2.95 million, council would need to again vote to increase the maximum amount for the project.

The city received $2.1 million in state and federal funds for the project and is paying for anything over that amount.

The work is to Boardman Street between Walnut and Market streets, and Walnut Street between Commerce and Wood streets.

The work includes repaving, reducing vehicular lanes, adding diagonal on-street parking on Walnut Street, new crosswalks and curb ramps, improved lighting, landscaping and new traffic controls.

The project also features a pedestrian walkway, or step street, on Walnut Street to better connect downtown to Youngstown State University.

Much of the work is done though the final layer of asphalt, pavement markings and signage need to be done this spring, Shasho said.

Also Thursday, the board approved 13 contracts for emergency sewer repairs with A.P. O’Horo Co. of Liberty getting $113,336 for six projects and Utility Contracting Inc. of Youngstown paid $83,204 for seven projects.

Shasho said the projects date back as far as last summer and the city pays the bills when invoices are received. The two companies sent the invoices for all of the work they did over a period of months at the same time, he said.

The board also approved a $3,753 severance payment to Melanie Clarke-Penella, the former downtown events and special projects director. She was terminated by McDowell, who hired David Labra to replace her.

The severance payments are mostly for unused sick time, paid at 35% of their hourly rate, and for unused vacation time.

The board on Feb. 2 approved severance payments to four former department heads who were not retained when McDowell replaced Jamael Tito Brown as mayor.

The board Thursday approved a federal grant application for the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. that, if accepted, would permit the agency to clean up a number of former gas station properties along the Glenwood Avenue corridor.

To read the full article from The Vindicator, click here.

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

On Tuesday, February 17, the Glenwood Neighbors Business Association hosted Mayor McDowell at its quarterly meeting.

The Mayor provided updates on several projects related to the greater Glenwood Avenue corridor and answered questions from the business owners.

The Glenwood Neighbors Business Association is a coalition of neighborhood leaders, business owners, and institutional stakeholders along Glenwood Avenue who work together to improve safety, quality of life, and generate economic opportunity along the corridor and in surrounding neighborhoods on Youngstown's Southside.

The coalition meets quarterly to discuss corridor improvements, share resources, and provide networking opportunities.

To join the mailing list for invites for upcoming meetings or learn about membership, please email gbna@yndc.org or call 330.480.0423.

For the past four years, Ashley has lived in rentals with her daughter and boyfriend. She knew rentals were temporary, and she wanted to own a home where her family could live comfortably. A little over a year ago, she tried to pursue homeownership but was denied pre-approval. “I was told that my credit score wasn't high enough.”

Ashley spent the next year working to improve her credit and explored different lending options. “I was approved through a different mortgage company, and I started looking at houses, and everything just started progressing a little bit more. Around November, I switched lenders again, and then everything became more solid. It just brought out, like, a lot of emotions,” Ashley said. “This is all I ever wanted for me and my girls — just our own place, something to call home. I'm from Maryland, and it costs too much money to live there. So to actually be able to buy a house here it means a lot.” 

Ashley had heard of YNDC through Catholic Charities, but it was her realtor who introduced her to the organization’s programs and the rehabilitated house with the yellow front door that would ultimately become her home. “When we found this house, he found out it was a YNDC house, and it just made it all better because you guys do beautiful homes and you make it real for people.” She loves bold colors, so when she saw that the front door was a bright yellow, she knew this was going to be her home. 

Ashley joined YNDC’s housing counseling program and works with the counselor to stick to her budget. “Alex helped me see where I was spending too much money and where I needed to put my money. I’ve done a lot better since hooking up with Alex and working on my budget because working on my budget got me here.” 

Since joining the counseling program, she recommends it to everyone, including her coworkers. “I work with a lot of girls, and we’re CNAs. All we want is a home because we take care of people, and we see that they no longer have a home. So, just talking with them about it and letting them know about the program, the house, and everything – they're excited. A couple of them took the information from me and actually looked into it.” 

-Ashley Tate, New Homeowner, Housing Counseling Client

Kismet has been homebound since a work injury left her recovering. She is a welder, but she was hit by a forklift while working. After months spent still recovering, warmer seasons turned into colder ones, and Kismet’s furnace wasn’t working while she was spending more time at home. 

It was Kismet’s sibling who informed her that YNDC may be able to assist her with her broken furnace. Kismet has been living in her home for eight years, but her furnace has not worked properly for nearly two winters. To stay warm on cold nights, Kismet used four space heaters throughout her house. She was unaware of how dangerous it was to heat her home with multiple space heaters. Since she hasn’t been able to work, Kismet contacted YNDC and qualified for the Owner-Occupied Home Repair program. One of YNDC’s housing project inspectors came to look at her furnace and informed her that her furnace was over 30 years old. They no longer manufactured that specific furnace or the necessary part to repair it and it would need to be replaced.

She says overall, the replacement was quick and efficient. “[It took] eight hours. I was allowed to be here, sit, and cheer. They just went into the basement and did their work. I didn't have to go down there and do anything. It was easy.” 

In January, the City of Youngstown broke records for the longest stretch of cold temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of the coldest days were hovering at -10, breaking another record low for the area. However, YNDC was able to assist Kismet in getting her furnace before the storm and its intense cold, which she is grateful she avoided. “That was a big help, because I would’ve been in the house with the space heaters all day. [Doctors] don't want me driving, because I’m having a hard time turning [my head]. I would’ve been stuck in the house all day, and I would have froze. I appreciate you guys.” 

-Kismet Johnson, Owner-Occupied Home Repair Client

Janet became a Glenwood Fresh Market member about two years ago. She learned about the market through a friend in her neighborhood who was already a member. Janet’s friend told her the membership qualifications, and she qualified. After only a handful of visits to the market, Janet suffered a heart attack and could no longer make it to the market. 

Janet spent months physically recovering and wanted to focus even more on her health. Starting with continuing her membership at the Fresh Market. Rejoining the market was a priority for her because Janet said fruits and vegetables were hard to come by before her membership. “This is a blessing, getting fresh fruit and vegetables. I look forward to coming up here.” Because of the lack of access, Janet says she didn’t incorporate fresh produce into her meals for years. Janet said she wasn’t sure where to start. Thankfully, the market associates were more than willing to lend a hand. “I’ve learned a lot since coming up here and interacting with everybody. It’s a great thing up here, and all of them are so nice and helpful, too. Whenever you have a question or something, they always give you a direct answer.” 

It has been six months since rejoining, and Janet says she isn’t the only one benefiting from a more balanced diet. “I have [noticed a difference in my health] and my family, too. Now, they are able to go into the refrigerator and get fresh fruits and vegetables [to eat].” On top of the health and nutritional benefits, Janet says it's the sense of community at the market that makes her visits even more special. “Just coming up to see everybody and relating and talking to them. It’s real fun. Susan is an excellent cook. It always smells good when she is cooking.” 

-Janet Moody, Glenwood Fresh Market Member