Neighborhoods

For the most part, Osborn Avenue residents take care of their neighborhoods, but a few habitually leave trash out for days, which encourages mainly kids to litter.

That was the assessment one woman gave when describing her top neighborhood concerns during a Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. public meeting Thursday at New Covenant Church of the Nazarene, 1900 Canfield Road in the city’s Cornersburg section.

The one-hour session, which focused mainly on Youngstown’s southwest section, including Cornersburg, was the third of nine such YNDC gatherings throughout the city to gather residents’ concerns, positive assessments, input, feedback and priorities for what they feel is most crucial for neighborhood development and stabilization.

Their input and ideas are to be used to develop citywide strategies for further neighborhood improvements against a backdrop of limited financial resources for the city, noted Jack Daugherty, YNDC’s program coordinator.

The woman who asked that her name not be used also recalled a home across the street from hers in which suspected drug activity took place. She became frustrated when told on two occasions that nothing could be done, she said.

Daugherty pointed to several demographics regarding the city’s southwest corner, noting that it’s seen a smaller population decline between 1990 and 2012 than most other parts of Youngstown.

The area also has a relatively high median income, stable property and home ownership, a strong housing market and relatively low crime, he noted. In addition, it has a higher percentage of older residents, he continued.

Daugherty also pointed to a trend that has plagued the city for years, in which having too few homebuyers results in slow sales, leading to decreased property values and higher rates of abandonment.

During Thursday’s session, one woman complained that a neighbor chronically neglects his yard. A 29-year resident said several water and sanitary pipes near her home need to be replaced.

The majority of complaints city officials receive are related to everyday quality-of-life issues, noted Mayor John A. McNally.

People with such concerns can send emails to the mayor’s office at mayormcnally@cityofyoungstownoh.com, he said.

“Stay involved; we need your input. We’re interested in action,” Daugherty said in response to one woman who asked how she can work with YNDC.

The next meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Price Memorial AME Zion Church, 920 Dryden Ave. on the East Side.

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

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

YNDC Deputy Director, Ian Beniston has been selected to participate in the Next City Vanguard Conference.

Next City Vanguard is a leadership gathering that convenes a "40 under 40" who are making an impact in cities across the U.S. and beyond. 2014 marks the fifth annual Vanguard conference and the first time a Southern city has hosted the event.

From April 24 - 26, the 2014 Vanguard class, a dozen Vanguard alumni, Next City staff and local host committee members will gather in Chattanooga, TN for a series of local tours, workshops, an "unconference" and more. This year Vanguards will also be tasked with a challenge and, at the conclusion of the conference, will propose possible solutions to a public audience.

More information on Next City Vanguard can be found here: http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/announcing-the-2014-vanguard-class

South side residents filled one of the meeting rooms at Newport Library March 4. The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. hosted its second in a series of neighborhood meetings.

Rick Pollo brings us the story.

Various city officials, Rep. Bob Hagan and about 40 South side residents attended the YNDC meeting for the Newport area. Janet Tarpley, 6th Ward councilwoman, expresses what many in attendance were feeling.

TARPLEY: We said we want a neighborhood plan that actually is going to affect every neighborhood, and we want you guys to be a part of it.

Tarpley says past plans failed to meet the needs of specific neighborhoods.

TARPLEY: If you look at the 2010 plan, there was a lot of things left, just open. In some cases, left – as far as I was concerned – left out altogether. And I felt like the 6th Ward was completely left out of it.

By the time the meeting broke into its Q and A session, residents expressed concerns about code violations not being followed through and just exactly how YNDC plans to bring positive changes when others have failed.

Clarence Boles, former councilman and South side resident, says he’s skeptical the YNDC can come up with a plan for the neighborhood.

BOLES: These young people from YNDC have very good intentions; I don’t want to downplay that. But they have no community-service track records.

Ian Beniston, YNDC’s deputy director, says both he and his colleagues have an exceptional amount of experience in community-service work, especially within the city.

BENISTON: If you look at our track record, particularly the one plan I was most intricately involved with here in the Idora Neighborhood, we’ve made significant progress, as much progress as you’ve seen anywhere in any neighborhood outside of downtown.

YNDC’s next meeting will be March 6 at the New Covenant Worship Center.

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

Residents of Youngstown’s Cornersburg neighborhood stopped by the New Covenant Worship Center March 6. They participated in the third session of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.’s citywide neighborhood meetings.

Rick Pollo brings us the story.

A crowd of about 40 Cornersburg residents attended YNDC’s third meeting, assessing the top assets and priorities of their neighborhood. Although issues of nuisance neighbors, vandals and petty crimes were addressed, some residents are happy to call the neighborhood home.

JANET MISEL: I love it. I am from Youngstown, originally, and then I was actually living in the suburbs for a while. I couldn’t wait to come back.

That’s Janet Misel. She moved back three years ago and says she’s excited to see renewed interest in the city.

MISEL: I really was vested in coming back and being part of what I see happening in a positive direction.

Gerry O’Hara, a resident of the lower West side, says his neighborhood has issues typical of any city.

O’HARA: It’s got its ups and downs. It’s got housing problems, it’s got code enforcement problems and it’s got drug problems, but we’re hanging in there.

Some residents voiced concern about the aging population of Cornersburg and what happens to property values if young people don’t move into the area. According to the YNDC, 24 percent of Cornersburg residents are 65 and older. That compares to 17 percent on the North side.

Mayor John McNally also attended. He says as long as neighbors continue to look out for one another, problems can continue to get resolved faster.

McNALLY: When somebody’s not taking care of their house, it gets noticed quickly by the neighbors, and usually neighbors are pretty good about trying to react to that and working with their neighbors to help out.

The News Outlet will cover the next meeting for the Lansdowne neighborhood on March 11.

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

East Side residents at a meeting to discuss a citywide plan say their part of Youngstown is often ignored.

“We need more attention on the East Side,” said Cynthia Davis, an East Side resident. “Areas elsewhere in the city are getting attention. We need help on the East Side. We have a lot of residents who care about their homes and their neighborhoods, but there’s only so much we can do.”

It was a familiar theme at Tuesday’s meeting at Price Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church on Dryden Avenue. About 50 people attended to hear an overview of research done by the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., the city’s planning agency.

YNDC is having public meetings throughout the city to obtain input on its “Neighborhood Conditions Report.”

This was the first meeting on the East Side, and YNDC’s fourth of nine such gatherings throughout the city.

The meetings are to determine priorities for stabilizing and developing neighborhoods using “the city’s limited resources to make improvements,” said Tom Hetrick, a YNDC neighborhood planner.

“The city doesn’t have a lot of money to fix the problems,” he said.

Some at the meeting were quite skeptical that a finished plan from YNDC will do anything.

“Personally, all of this is for naught,” said the Rev. Lawrence Underwood, an East Side resident. “They’re wasting their time and money. Until we focus on education, we can’t do anything about housing and employment. We’re going at it in the wrong manner. Education is the key. It’s the way to improve employment. Without education, no business is going to want to come here and open up.”

But others were optimistic.

Warren Harrell of the East Side said there is a lot of vacant land on that side of the city, but there are also stable families residing there.

“We need to start selling the area as a positive place,” he said. “There is hope.”

Despite huge pockets of abandonment on the city’s East Side, Hetrick said population there has increased over the past 20 years.

But the main reason for that, he said, is the East Side is the home to two prisons and prisoners count in U.S. Census population counts.

The East Side also has the lowest population density of any part of the city, Hetrick said. That means there’s a lot of space with fewer people.

YNDC pointed out positives on the East Side including the Lincoln Knolls Plaza, the McGuffey Centre, East High School, churches and city parks. Among its drawbacks, according to YNDC, are vacant houses, vacant businesses, tax delinquency, poverty, high unemployment and the dumping of debris.

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

Residents from some of the northeastern sections of the city met with members of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. March 11.

Rick Pollo attended the meeting.

TOM HETRICK: We really appreciate it. I’m here on behalf of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation…

That’s YNDC neighborhood planner Tom Hetrick addressing a crowd of around 50 members of the Northeast Homeowners and Concerned Citizens Association.

The association hosted the YNDC at its monthly meeting. The YNDC is gathering information on the concerns of residents.

The Rev. Lawrence Underwood says he fears the city will only keep shrinking.

UNDERWOOD: If we don’t improve the employment situation, the education and the housing stock, it don’t mean a thing because you’re going to continue to have young people leaving the area.

The YNDC acknowledges population trends slow decline in recent years. Other hot topics: Housing and property values. The northeast homeowners’ president, Artis Gillam Sr., hopes the YNDC can revitalize the neighborhood’s housing market.

GILLAM: There’re some homes in this area that are worth $400,000 or $500,000: Beachwood, McKelvey Lake, some beautiful homes. But their value is not like the homes that – take for instance – in some areas of the city.

Hetrick says the YNDC will address housing issues and target the neighborhood’s most secure areas first.

HETRICK: I think you have to look at areas of stability, because every side of town has areas that are more stable or less stable, and I think you have to look at the assets and build off the strengths of the neighborhood.

The YNDC plans to review residents’ top priorities to help the city develop a revitalization plan.

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

Residents from other parts of the city joined several Idora-area residents Thursday evening to discuss the Idora and the Fosterville areas of the South Side.

Some at the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. meeting felt that the Idora area is focused on too heavily, while other areas in the city need more attention.

“We hope the prosperity [here] spreads across the city,” said Bruce Harapcio, Idora resident. “It would be a privilege to be a model to the rest of the city.”

This was the fifth of nine meetings, this one hosted at the Rescue Mission administrative office on Glenwood Avenue, by the YNDC to discuss its “Neighborhood Conditions Report.” The goal is to receive feedback from residents about what they feel are the assets in their community and the priority areas that need to be addressed.

“We understand how important it is to be on the same page as everyone,” said Bill D’Avignon, director of community development and planning for the city.

Areas of discussion during the meeting were demolition, blight and limited funding the city has.

“We are here to get your input,” D’Avignon said. “We cannot address everyone, everywhere.”

A concern was the issue of a “demo list” the city has and what has happened with that list, if it still exists.

Mayor John A. McNally, who attended the meeting, said the demolition process is being reviewed and the city is trying to identify what homes need to be taken down.

“We are trying to straighten up some of the procedures,” McNally told the residents.

Outside of the issues discussed, there was talk of improvement in the neighborhoods.

Home-sale prices have increased in the Idora neighborhood.

The number of homes mortgaged through banks is low in the neighborhood, but when community loans are taken into consideration, the area actually is the sixth-highest in the city for homes bought with loaned funds.

Violent crime rate has decreased in the area over the years.

Idora was revitalized over the years through both city and community work to deal with decaying or vacant homes and crime.

Linda Jenkins, a Newport neighborhood resident, commented on the need to divide city funds for each area of the city and focus on fixing catch basins.

“I guess they made [Idora] a model,” Jenkins said. “This is where they soak all of the money into.”

She felt the meeting and a prior meeting she went to hosted by the YNDC are good starting points for progression in the city.

“I would love to see some action,” Jenkins said.

Harapcio felt the meeting was proactive and the “community’s voice was heard.”

“We are citizens of the city. We see it 24/7. We live here. We see what goes on day in and day out,” Harapcio said. “They can look to us for direction.”

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

Vacant homes topped the agenda at the Idora Neighborhood Association meeting March 13.

Members of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. attended the meeting as did News Outlet journalist, Rick Pollo. Here’s his report.

YNDC reports show the Idora neighborhood, has seen considerable growth over the last decade … Something YNDC Deputy Director Ian Beniston says is largely due to residents taking action.

BENISTON: I think they’ve played a significant role – I mean, they’re vigilant. They bring people out. They had volunteers out every day, getting things done, boarding up houses. Definitely set on continuing to improve the neighborhood.

Beniston says improvements like community gardens, beautification projects and blight removal, helped the neighborhood stabilize.

BENISTON: Getting houses boarded up as soon as they’re vacant, maintaining the vacant lots, keeping the grass cut. That’s what people are seeing when they come through here.

Vacant homes are still a primary concern. Youngstown’s planning director Bill D’Avignon says it’s no easy process to demolish a vacant structure.

D’AVIGNON: An inspector has to go out, conduct an inspection of that property, write it up and notify the property owner. Give him or her an adequate amount of time to address those issues. If they fail to correct those issues or appeal the notice, that’s when the process actually starts.

D’Avignon also says funding and environmental aspects have to be met before demolition can take place. City crews, the YNDC and property owners have demolished more than 100 homes during the past five years in the Idora neighborhood.

One unresolved issue in the neighborhood: the undeveloped property where Idora Park once operated. Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church purchased the 27 acres in 1985. It remains idle.

The YNDC holds its next meeting March 17.

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

Monday, March 17, 2014

On Saturday, March 15th, volunteers from YNDC, the Idora Neighborhood Association, Tabernace Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Geneva College, and First Presbyterian Church of Mineral Ridge participated in a workday in the Idora neighborhood.

Volunteers boarded and cleaned several vacant homes, conducted a general post winter clean up, and removed an abandoned boat from the site of a recent demolition. Thank you to all of our volunteers for another great workday!

The next neighborhood workday is schedule for Saturday, April 5th from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Powerstown Neighborhood, wher we will be cleaning up 9 blighted properties. Volunteers should meet in the parking lot at Coach’s Bar & Grille (3718 Sheridan Road, Youngstown, Ohio 44502). 

For more information about the next workday or to get involved in other neighborhood revitilzation efforts, please contact Jack Daugherty via email at jdaugherty@yndc.org or via phone at 330.480.0423.

Wick Park neighbors who gathered in the basement of the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Elm Street had a job to do.

Their assignment: On a card, list three of the greatest assets on the city’s North Side.

There’s the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown State University, Wick Park, Crandall Park, Stambaugh Auditorium — those were some hints.

Kathy Szmaj, who lives on Fifth Avenue, came up with hers: diversity, historic features, YSU, hospitals and museums.

That was more than three. But for those who live in and love the neighborhood, it may have been hard to choose.

“It’s a wonderful place to live,” she said at Monday’s meeting. “We know our neighbors; they know us. We want to be involved.”

Their next assignment: What are the top three problems in the neighborhood?

Vacancies, noisy industry, missing streetlights, empty lots, crime — they could take their pick. Szmaj chose homeownership, landlord responsibility, education and jobs.

The last assignment: “What is the one thing you wanted to say to the city but never did,” said Tom Hetrick, a neighborhood planner for the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.

“I live and work in the city,” Szmaj wrote. “How about a tax break?”

The YNDC and city representatives had the sixth of nine public meetings to identify priorities for a citywide neighborhood revitalization plan.

Getting residents’ input for the plan is important, city planning director Bill D’Avignon told a large crowd gathered there.

“We give a presentation and ask for feedback to identify what the greatest needs are and to plan strategy,” he said.

The input will help the city combat issues it faces as population falls and homeownership declines.

The Wick Park neighborhood, despite all its assets, is considered “weak” on a scale of “stable, functional, constrained, weak and extremely weak,” Hetrick said. To determine ranking, the YNDC used data such as mortgage rates, vacancy rates, homeownership rates, police service calls and poverty.

Blight, vacancies, poverty and crime move in when people move out, data Hetrick presented show.

The neighborhood is full of large, elegant older homes, residents pointed out.

They are, however, rentals or abandoned by out-of-state owners. They fall into disrepair and get torn down before anyone who is interested in renovating them can get a deed signed over.

“It takes two years to get a deed put in your name through the land bank,” said Peggy Gurney, who is secretary and treasurer of the Wick Park Neighborhood Association.

Steve Carter of Fairgreen Avenue said one 5,000-square-foot house that featured “Gone With the Wind” staircases was torn down as he was in the process of making a deal to buy it.

“Some of these houses are irreplaceable,” he said.

One wish on the neighborhood’s list: Make it easier to salvage them.

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