SitemapThe city’s design review committee approved two exterior improvement projects — though didn’t give its full support to one — making them eligible to receive grant money from Youngstown’s facade program.
With the approvals Tuesday, the committee has authorized 51 businesses to receive grants from the program. The approvals were the first two in front of the committee for consideration since May 7. Before that, there were requests for the funding for several meetings in a row.
City council in December 2022 approved setting aside $1 million of Youngstown’s $82.7 million in American Rescue Plan funds for the facade program. It allows eligible companies to receive up to $20,000 each to help pay for the cost of exterior improvements.
In order to get the grants, companies have to obtain permission from the design review committee. Companies must show they are paying at least half of the cost of the work being done.
The facade grants are forgivable loans with a five-year term. Every year a business remains open at their location in the city, 20% of the loan is forgiven until it reaches 100% at the five-year mark. The approval for Fusion Barber Salon at 2725 Mahoning Ave. was for the maximum $20,000 grant with the business planning a $40,886 project.
But the committee voted Tuesday to hold off on a key part of that project: permitting Fusion to put up a standalone ground sign near the street on the West Side’s main corridor.
Jay Crafton, a committee member, said he was concerned the sign would adversely impact visibility for vehicles and take away handicapped parking in the strip plaza where Fusion is located.
Crafton wanted to see if the proposed sign could be put on the same pole as other signs in the plaza or at least elevated on its own pole.
“Generally speaking, our corridors look flooded” with signs, said Charles Shasho, a committee member and the city’s deputy director of public works. “There’s abandoned signs. There’s multiple signs on one lot.”
Fusion will look at an elevated sign.
The committee agreed to permit the business to erect a new sign on the building and paint the structure.
The cost of the project wasn’t separated by each item so if Fusion doesn’t get approval for a sign by the street, city officials will have to determine how much funding the business is eligible to receive under the program.
The committee also approved a $5,700 grant for Goldhammer Investments LLC, 59 Steel St., for a $11,400 project. Goldhammer is a home renovation company that is planning new metal signs, improvements to the building’s exterior and painting portions of it.
Those in downtown, the uptown district, the Crandall Park district and businesses seeking facade grants need approval from the design review committee for exterior work.
In other business, the committee approved a 2,200-square-foot duplex to be built at 107 Baldwin St. on the city’s North Side by the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and Common Wealth Inc.
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