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Penguin City Brewing to Invest $3.7 Million in former Republic Steel Warehouse: https://businessjournaldaily.com/penguin-city-purchases-republic-warehouse-downtown/ More great news for Downtown! The local Penguin City Brewing is taking over a former warehouse along Federal Street on the far east end of Downtown. This is now the second old warehouse to be repurposed in Downtown! (Youngstown Flea is revitalizing a late 19th century warehouse across the street into their new market hall) Currently the brewing company operates out of the B&O Station building, but this move will give them far more space for expansion. In addition to being the new home of production for Penguin City, they will also open up a taproom and event center inside the building. In other Downtown news, popular barbeque restaurant Space Kat will be leaving its current location in the back of the Draught House bar. They haven't given an exact location yet, but they said they're new location "won't be too far" from the current one. I'm hoping that means they're staying Downtown.

That second house is beautiful! I found it a while ago on Realtor and it's what prompted me to go visit the neighborhood and take pictures! I drove past the house and I was gonna take pictures of it, but there were people out front so I decided not to. But the house looks even more beautiful in person, and those views it has are amazing!

Hey guys! It's been a long time since I was in Cleveland last, and I've been wanting to go up there again to get some pictures for my Instagram page, but now that I'm going to school in Columbus instead of NE Ohio, it's a bit difficult to find the time. However, I decided to skip classes and go up to Cleveland for a little day trip! I started by walking around the historic Edgewater neighborhood, then I stopped in Hingetown (mainly to see the new development), and made quick stops in Tremont/Duck Island as well as Little Italy. I have a ton of pictures, so I figured I'd share them with you guys! Today's photo tour is of Edgewater, but I can post the other ones soon; if you guys are interested, let me know! Disclaimer: These photos are unedited. If you want to see the edited versions, I'll eventually get around to posting most of them on my Instagram. First, I started at the parking lot at the upper end of Edgewater Park. I really love this view from this parking lot! Also, I learned after I got home that apparently there's a trail to a little pebble beach to the west of this parking lot, so I'll have to check that out next time. Next, I walked up the hill to Edgewater Drive. I'm a huge fan of Cleveland architecture and think so many neighborhoods in the city look beautiful. But Edgewater may just be the prettiest neighborhood in Cleveland! When I first drove through this area last year, I was amazed by how beautiful it was. The neighborhood of Edgewater is much larger, but this section consists of the few blocks between Clifton and Lake Erie, and Edgewater Park and Lakewood's Gold Coast. The neighborhood mostly consists of early 1900s mansions set along beautiful tree-lined streets. Now, there's a mixture of newer houses as well, most of which are pretty huge. You can definitely tell this was an extremely wealthy neighborhood. The size of these trees is insane: This is the view of Downtown from Cliff Drive: Back to Edgewater Drive: Now onto Lake Avenue. Lake has a mixture of large mansions as well as historic apartment buildings. I love these types of apartment buildings and they're one of my favorite parts of Cleveland's architecture: And now for a couple pictures of the view from this part of Edgewater Park... and of this squirrel I can across 😁 I hope you guys enjoyed! If you want to see Part 2 (and maybe 3) of Hingetown, parts of Tremont, etc, let me know!

Great photo tour. I visited Nashville pre-COVID and the absolute lunacy of the neighborhoods in the city drove me mad. I tried to find a historic neighborhood to check out, but evidentially there really are none besides Downtown. I do recall driving through a nice neighborhood with 1920s era craftsman type houses somewhere north of Downtown though. But besides that, the city has some of the craziest new developments I've ever seen. It's not even that the new developments are all bad, it's just that there is absolutely no uniformity. The haphazardness of it all makes it look like they just started slapping down giant modern townhouses in the middle of Bexley, West Virginia or something.... Also, what's with the hype over The Nations? I drove through it and it looked no different than your average meh Ohio neighborhood to me. There's just something so oddly unsettling about streets like this, but this is basically how all of Nashville looks now. Is it the architecture? The lack of sidewalks? The weird parking spaces in the front yards? The V-Shaped driveway?

That plaza is a huge asset to Akron. It might sound dumb to say that since it just looks like an average suburban plaza, but the fact that it has Whole Foods, Piada, and Lululemon is great because it draws in visitors from the suburbs. I think a huge problem these days is that suburbanites won't ever venture into the city - but having trendy stores like that inside the City of Akron entices people to go spend more time in Wallhaven and Highland Square area instead of staying in Fairlawn to do everything. Now if only that intersection of Wallhaven could become a bit more walkable, it would be Highland Square 2.0....

So, I want to make a quick update post with both good and bad news. First, the bad news. Like everything in Youngstown, when we take one step forward, we take another step back. While Downtown's projects in terms of infrastructure are going strong and have aesthetically improved the area, our businesses in the greater Downtown area have taken a massive hit from the COVID pandemic. Without offices in Downtown and students on YSU campus, most Downtown businesses remain temporarily closed, and some have permanently closed. The Closures: The first business on the chopping block is Joe Maxx Coffee, which is a chain found in other cities such as Cleveland, that first originated here in Downtown Youngstown. The business was recently evicted it seems due to its inability to pay its rent. This leaves Downtown proper without a coffee shop. The owners understandably just couldn't make a profit with no one working Downtown. The silver lining is that the owner says he believes he will be able to catch up on his payments and hopes to start renting out the space again next summer. The next business closure hurts a lot. It's Cultivate Co-Op Cafe, which just announced today its permanent closure due to COVID struggles. The cafe, which is the anchor of the up-and-coming Elm Street business district in Wick Park, has struggled to keep a solid clientele during this pandemic. Because people are no longer commuting Downtown, many businesses in the city have seen an astronomical decrease in business as everyone would rather visit businesses closer to their home suburbs. This closure will leave a huge vacancy on a street that has brought life back to a struggling neighborhood. I believe the adjacent kitchen incubator will stay, as will the coffee shop across the street. But the closure of this restaurant shows that Elm Street may be at risk of falling right back into oblivion despite the amazing efforts to turn the street around. I really am rooting for the remaining businesses on this street and hope a new restaurant will see the value of setting up shop in the Cultivate Cafe space - it's a really nice building with a great interior as well. But yes, this closure hurts a lot. Next, the Smoothie Bar on Central Square has closed due to the pandemic. The space will be occupied by Chase Bank soon, which for some reason is moving to this location and away from its long time location in the high-rise across the street. The owner of the smoothie bar will continue to operate Starting Lineup Barber Shop though. The Good News: Downtown is basically a gigantic construction zone. The Fifth Avenue road diet project is progressing nicely. This project also include a bike trail adjacent to the road, which will link to the Mill Creek Metroparks Connector, which is a protected bike lane that will run along Mahoning Avenue and Tod Avenue. To make the project possible, Mahoning will be receiving a road diet from 4 lanes to 2 lanes and a center turning lane between Oak Hill Avenue (By the red bridge) and West Avenue. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that this is going to be a two-way protected bike trail along Mahoning and even along the side roads. Knowing Youngstown, I kind of assumed they'd just tack a bike lane logo onto the shoulder and call it a bike trail! This means that by Summer 2021, it will be possible to bike from the Lake Glacier area of Mill Creek Park all the way to YSU by using protected bikelanes. There will also be a future phase which will add protected bike lanes along Front, giving access to the amphitheater and courthouse part of Downtown, and on-street bike lanes along Rayen, giving access to the eastern half of campus. Additionally, work on YSU's Mahoning Valley Innovation and Commercialization Center has begun on the corner of Fifth and Commerce. They are working on transforming the facade of the building so that it looks more modern. I think it looks great. Next, there are active renovations being done to the Legal Arts Building - I'm not 100% sure, but if I recall correctly, the building will be made into apartments.

Even though the waterfront line expansion sounds less amazing than an expansion elsewhere into other neighborhoods or suburbs, I actually think it is very needed. From my not-from-Cleveland perspective, there is really little reason to use the current RTA rail system for visitors to the city without a completed loop in Downtown. For example, if someone is visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a completed loop would incentivize them to get onto the Waterfront Line and visit Playhouse Square, East Fourth, Tower City, etc. I think a completed loop which goes on street level would do wonders for ridership. I also think a lot of people literally just don't know the Waterfront Line exists, or that Cleveland has a light rail system at all! Cleveland is lucky to have a light rail system still, and it's an asset the city needs to take advantage of. Plus, extending the Waterfront Line would also give more incentives for the neighborhoods currently serviced by the RTA lines to ride the train Downtown as they could get dropped off closer to the places they want to go to. Also, the idea for a streetcar along Detroit would be awesome as that stretch of road has seen a ton of growth - I also had no idea there was an abandoned subway viaduct under Detroit, that's super cool.

I love that the entirety of Main Street is getting two lane protected bike lanes! For some reason, Akron seems to have a lot more bike riders than other cities I've lived in, so this will be a great and welcome asset to Downtown! Glad work has started on Phase Two.

Here's some quick pictures I took of the new Phelps Street Gateway project in Downtown Youngstown. Basically, the project converted a small alleyway into a smaller version of Cleveland's East Fourth Street. It looks great, and it'll look even better once restaurants use it for seating and events next year! There's also a new stage on the small block between Commerce and the staircase to YSU campus, but I didn't get any pictures of that. Now for some crappy iPhone pictures from my car showing the lighting 😁 Here's the new State Theater mural. The State Theater has long been demolished and is now just a façade. This project aimed to make a mural of what the old entrance looked like: Lastly, here's this street in the South Side that I always drive past, and I think it looks really nice with the fall colors and newly planted trees! It's Pinehurst Avenue in the Handels neighborhood, which is one of very few Youngstown neighborhoods to have a healthy neighborhood organization and is showing signs of growth. They recently installed really nice neighborhood banners, new lampposts, and planted these new trees for example.

I drove through Franklinton recently as I've been trying to explore Columbus a lot now that I'm at OSU 😁 First off, I love how much new development and vibrancy there is here since I last drove through years ago. I'm not sure exactly what the development is called, but I love this new building - they have a surprisingly good array of shops on the first floor. I'd like to see more similar development along Rich Street, and there's definitely enough vacant land to do it! One thing that strikes me about Franklinton is how much it reminds me of a small town in Appalachia Ohio. Streets like this and this for example remind me of my childhood stomping grounds around Steubenville. I really hope that developers make an effort to preserve the remaining in-tact residential streets in Franklinton. The narrow streets and small houses may not be appealing to all, but to me they really add character to the area!

I walked around OTE last week to get some pictures, and I was really shocked by how nice of a neighborhood it was! For a place that I've heard used to be pretty bad, it was surprisingly pleasant with great architecture and nice businesses along Parsons and Oak. I think one thing that surprises me about Columbus is that, compared to Northeast Ohio, most of the historic neighborhoods of Columbus seem to be in really good shape or are in the process of being revitalized quickly, like Old Town East

Dublin has done such a spectacular job when it comes to urban planning recently. I cannot think of a suburb off hand anywhere that has done such a great job creating a new Downtown area. The formula Dublin used could and should be repeated in other cities in Ohio.

Alright, I'm back with some new pictures! I hope to take some myself this week, but if not, here's some from the news... It looks great! It definitely gives off mini-East Fourth Street vibes! I think it looks really good, and I'm excited to see it once there's seating and events outside! Also, there's still plans to open the wall of 20 Federal Place (an indoor mall/food court) to the street - this would be done by adding storefronts for three of the restaurants in the food court, including Subway and the recently popular Emman's Lebanese Restaurant.

Phelps Street Pedestrian Street Officially Unveiled: https://www.wfmj.com/story/42845303/city-unveils-youngstowns-new-destination-site-the-phelps-corridor I don't have much time to go over the article, but the North Phelps Street pedestrian street is now officially open. Sadly, the COVID-19 situation and cold weather have prevented any big celebration or really any usage of the street at all. However, it is indeed open. I'm not sure if they added in the arch that's supposed to be at the end of the block (it's not there in the photo below from a few days ago) - Also, the tiny dead end block between Commerce and the public-steps up to YSU Campus has been made into a pedestrian space as well with a terraced area to be used as a stage. In terms of business, it's also a bit dead - Due to COVID, One Hot Cookie, Suzie's Dogs and Drafts, and Rhinehaus are all temporarily closed. The new restaurant Gringo's is open though as is V2 on the corner of Phelps and Federal.

Youngstown Flea Purchases Former Downtown Factory: https://businessjournaldaily.com/youngstown-flea-pays-206k-for-former-mill-downtown/ The Youngstown Flea, which is a marketplace for local services and products has purchased this old factory building from 1870. There has been no comment on what they will do with the building, but it is likely that it will be used as a permanent space for the future Youngstown Flea events. The factory is located on the east end of Downtown. In other news, the work on the Mahoning Avenue bike lanes has begun, but I do not have a picture. Surprisingly, it appears they are doing more than just painting a small bike lane on the shoulder of the road - The road is currently reduced to two lanes with the other two lanes' pavement completely torn up. I have never had luck finding out what the detailed plans are, but I hope that it will be protected bike lanes, and based on the fact that they tore up all the old pavement, I think it might be. The bike lane starts at the B&O Station at the Peanut Bridge and continues to West Avenue. From there, it goes down West Avenue and Tod Avenue until it hits Mill Creek Park. I'm unsure what work they plan on doing to Tod and West, as they are both fairly quiet side streets. At the very least, it would be wise to repave them.

Goodness, it gets worse with every proposal. I'll admit I sort of like the colors and general design better, but the way the tallest parts come right up over the old facades on High looks way worse than the older proposal. Plus, RIP the townhouses on King. It doesn't look horrible, but they need to just accept the proposal and be done with it at this point.

The I Promise housing on Maple and Cedar looks really good. I'd love to see more density like that in Northwest Akron, particularly the West Hill area on Market. West Hill could be just as walkable as Highland Square, they just need to replace all those car dealerships or empty lots in front of St Vincent St Marys with new development. There's even some nice older commercial buildings around that triangle park on the corner of Market and North that could be fixed up to help improve the neighborhood. Lastly, the housing stock south of Market in West Hill is actually really good, lots of big historic houses with brick streets. Sure, that area is rough around the edges currently, but all the necessary ingredients for making it a vibrant neighborhood are there.

I'm glad someone else brought up Norton Commons in Prospect, KY, but I don't get why that type of manufactured development would do well in Downtown Cleveland. However, I really really like that development. Most of those master-planned mixed use communities end up being badly planned, too car oriented, or look too perfect. Norton Commons on the other hand is really well build and essentially takes the design of a traditional small town. Very walkable, nice main street commercial district. Most places like it have way too much parking, or huge car oriented plazas instead of main streets. I also like the variation of architecture for each building so it looks more organically built. If you took someone who isn't into urbanism like us and placed them on the main street in Norton Commons, they'd probably not know it was all brand new, especially as many of the buildings are built in the local historic architectural styles. This street scene for example looks very organic and nothing like most manufactured suburban "town centers"

Great photo tour! I'm happy to see all these changes, especially with the new murals. I lived in Downtown Akron for college last year, and my biggest complaint was just how gray and drab the colors in Downtown were. Everything was just way too mid-century corporate looking, and the roads are like 6 lane superhighways. I'm glad to see people are trying to add more color and better streetscaping, it is much needed. I hope they find a way to better connect the different areas of Downtown. For example, there aren't many shops or restaurants between the business district around Canal Park and the one up by Market Street, I'd like to see the area between become more vibrant. Akron always felt like a strange city to me as the northwest area around Highland Square is super well developed and a very healthy urban neighborhood. Downtown on the other hand always felt quite empty for a city of 200,000 - I think it could be because most urban development in the area goes to Downtown Cleveland instead of Downtown Akron.

Are they going to start constructing the other buildings on this site right after this one (Building A) is done?

North Phelps Street Pedestrian Street: Sadly I haven't been Downtown in a while to get a picture, but here's a slightly outdated update pic from the City of Youngstown's website: Work will be completed within the month I think. Honestly, from what I saw in a quick glance last week, I thought the materials on the road looked a little dated. However, it's not finished yet so I'll reserve my judgement. And even if it does look dated, this project will still be transformational for Youngstown. There's two new Mexican restaurants getting ready to open on this pedestrian street. Sadly, I don't know if Suzie's and Rhinehaus survived COVID, I heard from someone that they shut down. There is also a new bar/nightclub coming in the Erie Terminal Place building (the tall one at the end of the photo above). They plan to install hanging lights over the street which will look great, and restaurants will be able to have way more seating outside now. As for future expansions, there is an indoor food court / shopping mall many people do not know about in the 20 Federal Building on the right side of the pedestrian street. The owners of that building have already begun talking about remodeling the indoor mall by opening up storefronts for their businesses to the new pedestrian street. In other words, we could very well have vibrant retail space on both sides of this street. I'm not sure about plans for South Phelps Street, but I believe there have been plans to do some streetscaping work between Federal and Front. There aren't many businesses along this stretch, but the city wants it to be a part of the overall plan for Phelps Street to be a vibrant connection between YSU's main campus, Downtown, and the new riverfront (amphitheater area). Fifth Avenue Road Diet: Likewise, Fifth Avenue's road diet is progressing well. It is being converted from a bloated six (six!!) lane road into a two lane road with a very wide multi-use path for bikes and pedestrians. There is also going to be space for the future BRT / Autonomous Transit system linking YSU and Downtown. I am super excited for this plan, and I hope it has the same success as the Wick Avenue road diet had on YSU campus. Fifth has already had great apartment development and bookstore development. This will make those more connected to campus, and hopefully, the beautified street will lead to more of a solid streetwall in the future. They seem to be working on the road in segments, so it looks like the lower part will be completed and reopened before the upper portion is worked on. Overall, I am really excited for Downtown Youngstown's future. These two streets are only the beginning too. Front, Commerce, Rayen, and even Federal will all be getting rebuilt as well as part of this TIGER Grant project. Lastly, the bike lane between Mill Creek Park and Downtown / YSU along Mahoning Ave. should start being built soon.

Here's two quick pictures I took of the progress at the corner of High and 16th:

Brownfield Redevelopment Proposed for "Wick Six" site on North Side: https://businessjournaldaily.com/epa-chief-praises-youngstown-brownfield-projects/ Youngstown, which has seen great success with its brownfield redevelopments recently (the amphitheater for example), and the city and other regional politicians are now setting their sights on the former "Wick Six" property - This area was once home to the city's 6 major car dealerships along Wick Avenue in the North Side. However, when these vacated, the area became very blighted, and the resulting brownfield causes the adjacent Wick Park neighborhood to fall even more. The focus area includes not only the area along Wick, but the vacant industrial park in the blocks between Wick and Crab Creek. I'm not sure what exactly they could do with this area. It's too big for a park, and though the city has toyed with the idea, I just cannot see Crab Creek being cleaned up enough to be used as green space. Perhaps YSU could use it? If Youngstown was a bigger city, this would be such a desirable piece of land. I envision mixed use apartments and retail along Wick, and infill development in the blocks between it and Wick Park. Baldwin Avenue in particular would be a great place for infill residential as it would be a great way to connect this area on Wick Avenue with the business district on Elm Street...But obviously none of that will actually happen ? This is the area of the Wick Six brownfield

I don't get the deal with Clintonville. It's such a nicely kept up neighborhood, yet High Street through Clintonville is a disaster. There would have been a good opportunity for a better development at that site that would have linked together two blocks that have a relatively decent street-wall still. I don't get why they don't even want things like two story or three story developments against the street there. Why would the people in Clintonville want a Bank of America instead of trying to put together a proper small town walkable main street type area along High? There's so much potential to do just that, but as it stands now, Clintonville's stretch of High Street is a nightmare. Whether they realize it or not, it's bad for their neighborhood. Hell, even something super low density and somewhat suburban like this development higher up on High Street would be 1000% better than a drive thru bank branch.

Glad to see the improvements moving along with Main Street! It seems like it's been under construction forever! I'll have to stop back in Akron sometime and check it out. I really like how much sidewalk space there is now.