SitemapTraveling down the 6-mile stretch of Glenwood Avenue between Boardman and downtown Youngstown, it might appear the historic corridor has been forgotten.
The neighborhood’s treasures — beautifully renovated homes and easy access to Mill Creek MetroParks — are obscured by the visibly vacant buildings flanking the heavily traveled road. They’re relics of a more prosperous era when the neighborhood boasted healthy business activity and lively cultural institutions.
The Valley once flocked to the area. Now, folks mostly drive through it.
But if you listen to local entrepreneurs and organizations like the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, better days for the neighborhood are ahead.
Since its 2009 launch, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation has renovated hundreds of existing homes in the Glenwood Avenue area and provided Mahoning Valley residents with a pathway to home ownership.
YNDC is now aiming to use commercial redevelopment to further its mission of bolstering the South Side neighborhood.
On Jan. 25, the organization purchased the multi-unit commercial property at 2915 Glenwood Ave. just across the street from the organization’s Canfield Road office.
The colorful plaza — formerly home to a day care and a soul food restaurant — has been vacant for several years after a fire.
YNDC already owns multiple commercial spaces in the area, but “this one is of particular importance because it’s at a high traffic intersection … which has a lot of visibility,” said YNDC executive director Ian Beniston.
To see the full story from Mahoning Matters, click here.