Neighborhoods

To the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield grant program for awarding the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. a $1 million grant to continue the great progress that it already has made toward revitalizing the Glenwood Avenue corridor on the South Side.

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

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

YNDC is proud to announce the publishing of its performance report from the 2nd Quarter of 2026!

The performance report highlights the work of YNDC from April to June 2026.

An electronic copy can be downloaded below. 

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

YNDC, the City of Youngstown, Mahoning County Land Bank, other project partners, and supporters celebrated the groundbreaking of two new single-family homes on Mumford Circle and Liberty Road. These new homes follow the completion of four new homes on Maranatha Court and Beachwood Drive, the rehabilitation of a vacant home on Stocker Avenue, and are in addition to other neighborhood stabilization projects.

The new homes will be approximately 1,600 square feet with at least three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open-concept living, kitchen and dining area, first-floor laundry room, front porch, and two-car attached garage.

2nd Ward Councilman Jimmy Hughes said the continued development is exciting for the east side. "Every time I come over here, I just see where future development can be and should be, so I'm very excited. We're making improvements in our neighborhoods and are now continuing development in this area, and it is as it should be: neighborhoods building up other neighborhoods." Mayor Derrick McDowell said the new homes are a signal of progress happening. "The east side has not been forgotten. This is the side of town where you can believe development is happening. The east side belongs to all of us. It is a part of this city. Development comes with a process, though it may be slow, it is intentional and it is happening right here on the east side and the City of Youngstown as a whole."

This project is supported by American Rescue Plan funding from the City of Youngstown. The City of Youngstown and Mahoning County Land Banks assembled the vacant lots. The builder for these two homes is Joe Koch Construction.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC), alongside the City of Youngstown and the Mahoning County Land Bank broke ground on two new homes on Youngstown’s East Side on Tuesday morning.

To read the full article from WFMJ, click here.

Marguerite Douglas has lived in the Lincoln Knolls neighborhood for about 30 years, and she looks forward to new residents moving into houses under construction.

There’s a lot of vacant land on the city’s East Side, she said, and she and her neighbors are happy that the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. is building homes to fill those areas.

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

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

On Tuesday, June 30, 2026, the Frances Schermer Charitable Trust awarded YNDC a $5,000 grant for essential repair. The funds will support the essential home repair program, assisting residents of owner-occupied, single-family homes with repairs such as furnace and plumbing at NO COST. Thank you to the Frances Schermer Charitable Trust!

It may be merely a large hole filled with recent rainwater, but it’s pleasing Marguerite Douglas a whole lot.

“Having these new homes means we’re growing,” she said.

Douglas was referring to the beginning of building a new 1,600-square-foot home in the 200 block of Mumford Circle on the East Side, for which construction will soon get underway, courtesy of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., the Mahoning County Land Bank, the city and other partners.

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

Two vacant lots are becoming new homes as a neighborhood revitalization effort continues to reshape the city’s East Side.

Ian Beniston, executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., and Marguerite Douglas, a Lincoln Knolls neighborhood resident, discuss the groundbreaking of two new single-family homes in the Lincoln Knolls neighborhood, part of a collaborative effort led by YNDC, the city of Youngstown and the Mahoning County Land Bank.

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

Thursday marked a milestone for a housing project by the Youngstown Development Corporation in Mahoning County (YNDC).

To read the full article from WKBN, click here.

Thursday, July 9, 2026 

YNDC, the City of Struthers, and other project partners celebrated the completion of two new single-family homes with a ribbon cutting.

The completed homes are located at 43 Narcissa Street and 78 Prospect Street. These are the first 2 of 8 homes that YNDC began constructing this spring.

According to Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller, the city was excited to start the project but needed assistance. She said YNDC and its partners made the project progress seamlessly. "I called Ian and talked to Deb, Tiffany, and YNDC and we were able to get these projects off the ground. We met with City Council and approved everything to go through YNDC because we couldn't manage this program. Within days, we met with Joe Koch construction and we couldn't believe how quickly everything took place and the ball just kept rolling."

Of the eight homes in Struthers, there are four different models and each home will have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open-concept living, kitchen and dining area, first-floor laundry room, front porch, and two-car garage. When homes are completed, they will be listed for sale. Down payment assistance will be available for eligible homebuyers through a partnership with Huntington National Bank.

The project is made possible through a grant award to the City of Struthers from the Ohio Department of Development's Welcome Home Ohio program. The vacant lots were acquired from the City of Struthers Land Bank. Mahoning County Land Bank also provided land for the project. The builder for the project is Joe Koch Construction. The project partners include the City of Struthers, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, and the Eden Haven Housing Development Group.