SitemapThe city is considering taking ownership of the parcels that once housed the McGuffey Plaza and Garland Plaza, which used to be among the main shopping centers on the East Side.
In recent years, the plazas fell into such disrepair that most of them have been demolished. Currently, Tiny’s News & Beverage, and K&P’s Family Sportswear are the only businesses open, both in McGuffey.
The properties, previously owned by Cafaro Co. subsidiaries, were purchased in auction by D&E Holdings LLC of Canfield for $150,000 in October 2013 with the purchase finalized two months later. Cafaro didn’t sell the Tiny’s location as it is allowing that business’ owner to buy it over time, said Joe Bell, Cafaro Co. spokesman.
David E. Bonamase, D&E’s statutory agent, has been serving a 21-month federal prison sentence, that started in September 2014, after he was convicted of willful failure to collect or pay tax related to another business he owned.
D&E did some demolition work there, but left behind much debris and has failed to keep the property in good shape, said Mayor John A. McNally.
The city’s street department cleaned debris this summer as well as mowed the grass and removed weeds – including those in the parking lots – with the city then hiring Billet Landscaping of Youngstown to do the work for $25 an hour, McNally said. The company has so far put in 128 hours, costing the city $3,200, he said.
City law department officials have had ongoing discussions with Andrew R. Zellers, D&E’s attorney, about “holding them responsible for the costs,” and maintaining the property, said Nicole Billec, an assistant law director. A lien is a possibility if D&E won’t pay, she said.
The city is doing a title search on the McGuffey and Garland properties to see who owns all of the land – which total about 25 to 30 acres – and if there are any tax liens, McNally said.
“We may decide to foreclose on the properties,” he said.
“The cleanup of the site has fallen into our lap. I have no idea what we’d do with the properties, but it might be in our best interest to own the site. It’s too early to think about that. My priority is to make it much cleaner."
If the city does take ownership of the parcels, McNally said his administration would meet with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., the city’s planners who have come up with a proposed plan for the location, and the Northeast Homeowners and Concerned Citizens Association Inc., a neighborhood organization that asked the city to get involved in making sure the location is in good shape.
“It’s been going down for years, and it looks like a mess,” said Artis Gillam Sr., president of the association and a former city councilman.
“I would love for the city to take it over. It would enable folks to lease the land so they could build something there. I’d like to see a pharmacy, a grocery store and a barber shop.”
Zellers couldn’t be reached Friday by The Vindicator to comment.
With input from neighbors, YNDC came up with a proposed site plan for the plazas that was finished in July.
The proposal is to relocate Tiny’s and K&P’s, and combine the two plazas with nearby vacant land owned by the school district and the Ohio Department of Transportation – a total of about 76 acres – to eventually use it for light industrial and/or commercial use.
“It’s one of the more viable areas in the city in the future for growth,” said Ian Beniston, YNDC executive director.
“It would take a couple of years to develop. But there aren’t many sites in the city with this kind of acreage of clean land. I strongly recommend the city buy the land.”
McGuffey was one of the first development properties of William M. Cafaro, founder of the Cafaro Co.
At one point the location was a thriving business location with department stores, restaurants, a bank, a pharmacy, a bowling alley and other businesses, Gillam said.
Mahoning County’s Department of Job and Family Services rented space at Garland from 1988 until its 2007 move to Oakhill Renaissance Place, the former Forum Health Southside Medical Center, owned by the county.
Prosecutors indicted McNally, when he was a county commissioner, and two others last year claiming they were part of a criminal enterprise that illegally, and unsuccessfully, tried to impede or stop the move.
He and the two others have pleaded not guilty to the 83 criminal counts.
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