Port Authority Anticipates Closing on Harshman Building Next Week to Begin Renovations for Eastern Gateway Community College.

The Business Journal:

https://t.co/CHQmjfsTMa

Youngstown's Oldest Church Being Saved:

 

The Welsh Congregational Church, built in 1861, is Youngstown's oldest church. It is on Elm Street in the YSU neighborhood in between the YSU campus and Downtown. The church was the community center of Youngstown's Welsh community, which was the largest immigrant group in Youngstown during the 19th century. It has been owned by the Youngstown Catholic Diocese for decades and has been vacant and in bad shape. Luckily, Youngstown CityScape stepped up and announced an ambitious restoration project for the church. The plan is to move the church from its current location to Wick Park on the North Side. It will be used as a multi purpose community meeting house. This will hopefully contribute to the Wick Park Historic District, which is struggling to maintain its historic structures. CityScape is holding a fundraiser on July 20th at Noble Creature Cask House at 5:30pm to support the renovation. The Diocese will redevelop the land to better blend in with the neighborhood and campus.

 

The Welsh Congregational Church:

 

New Utility Box Art in Downtown:

 

Downtown Youngstown has added five new utility box artworks recently. This is in addition to several that were already put into place in late 2017. This time the project was in Central Square and West Federal Street. They feature artwork and photography from local artists working with YSUscape. This along with new self guided walking tour signage were installed on the city's 222nd birthday.

 

Utility boxes on Central Square:

 

Utility box in front of Powers Auditorium on West Federal Street:

 

Youngstown CityScape also installed five new self-guided walking tour signs marking several historic sites in Downtown including the B&O Railroad Station, Central Square, and Wick Park.

 

One of the new walking tour signs in Downtown:

Canfield Mixed Use Development Hopes To "Attract Millenials:"

 

Canfield (a suburb of Youngstown) is hoping to develop the 111 acres of empty land on the corner of Palmyra Road and US-224. FJA Developers hope to make this a community for all ages that will attract millennials, a group that is increasingly leaving Canfield. The plan is horrible though and will not attract millennials at all. The plan will add 35,000 sq feet of retail space in a 'lifestyle center" along US-224 - in reality, it is just a typical shopping plaza and is surrounded on all sides by parking. 10 acres will be set aside along US-224 for future retail development.

 

The master plan of the development:

 

Behind the retail will be several two story four-plex condos that will be "multi-generational." But in reality, they look no different than every other condo development in town. There will be 51 lots for custom homes, a clubhouse, and several walking trails. The town hopes to develop it over the next 5-7 years. Basically, this project brings nothing new to Canfield for millennials. But, this isn't surprising given Canfield's extreme NIMBY culture.

@YtownNation

Many historic structures in Youngstown have been lost to the wrecking ball over the years. Here's your chance to save an important one and turn it into some really special for all to enjoy:

https://www.ioby.org/project/welsh-congregational-church-renovation-project

Boardman Trustees OK Rezoning for Meijer

July 24, 2018

 

BOARDMAN, Ohio – The Boardman Township Board of Trustees approved the rezoning of 4.3 acres of land where Meijer Stores Ltd. plans to build a new store, media outlets report.

 

Representatives of the retail chain, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, attended Monday night’s meeting, during which township trustees approved the zone change.

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/boardman-trustees-ok-rezoning-for-meijer/

Downtown Loft Apartment:

 

This isn't necessarily development related, but I found this really impressive modern loft for rent online in Downtown Youngstown in a building that was renovated recently. It's pretty neat to see places like this pop up in Downtown Youngstown! You can see this full listing here.

 

It is located at 217 West Federal Street in the Davis Building, which was built in 1899. It is located in a central location right between the Youngstown Business Incubator and the entertainment district around Central Square. When it was renovated, the first floor was made into retail space (now a State Farm office), the second floor into office space, and the third floor into a private residence - which is now for rent.

 

The Davis Building is the center one:

 

The loft is one bedroom and 1,750 square feet. There is also a beautiful 450 square foot private rooftop deck facing Market Court. It is listed at a pricy $1,950/month - pretty high for a one bedroom unit in Youngstown! That being said, it's a really impressive loft and it's cool to see places like this popping up in Youngstown! I'd sure like to rent it if I had the money....

 

The rooftop deck:

 

The interior of the unit:

 

Wow!

I know that's only one unit, and of course that asking price puts it in a very niche market.  But it's still good to see, and I'm curious: How many more buildings like this Davis Building does downtown Youngstown have?  And is this near anything of use to someone living there after hours (i.e., not just downtown offices but residential-oriented needs ... grocery, banking, entertainment, etc.)?

I know that's only one unit, and of course that asking price puts it in a very niche market.  But it's still good to see, and I'm curious: How many more buildings like this Davis Building does downtown Youngstown have?  And is this near anything of use to someone living there after hours (i.e., not just downtown offices but residential-oriented needs ... grocery, banking, entertainment, etc.)?

 

There are a lot of apartment buildings Downtown actually. Most are pretty nice and new (and certainly more affordable). In fact, basically all Downtown apartments units seem to be filled up right now.

- Wells Building

- Wick Tower

- Erie Terminal Place

- Realty Tower

- Several new apartment developments in YSU area next to Downtown

- There's also a low income apartment building in Downtown as well as a low income senior apartment building.

Many of the nicer apartments are owned by NYO Property Group, so check out their website.

 

 

In terms of your other questions:

- Grocery: We still don't have a grocery store Downtown, but a convenience store (Downtown Circle) as expanded into selling things like fresh produce, meat, and other grocery store items.

- In terms of entertainment, there's a lot of new bars popping up (Whistle & Keg for example). There's also a lot of 'hip' restaurants such as Kitchen Post and Suzies Dogs and Drafts. There's only one coffee shop at the moment, but Boardman's Branch Street Roasters is going to be moving Downtown and making it their flagship location.

 

 

Most of Downtown is pretty compact, so everything is within walking distance. The main entertainment area is around the corner of West Federal and North Phelps. The western edge of Downtown is mainly tech-related offices and the eastern edge is mainly corporate offices and a community college campus. Downtown is still pretty dead at night time (except for West Federal sometimes), but it is actually surprisingly vibrant in the day time. I was down there last week and was shocked at how many people were walking around.

Big loss to the already struggling Northside....

 

UPDATE | Northside closing shocks city officials

Published August 15, 2018 at 11:08 a.m.

 

YOUNGSTOWN — City officials are shocked by the news today that Steward Health Care will close Northside Regional Medical Center as of Sept. 20.

 

“It came as a huge surprise, out of the blue,” said city Law Director Jeff Limbian, who received a call this morning from Steward’s attorneys that the hospital is shutting down. “This is difficult news. Every time we think we’re turning it around, we get kicked in the stomach. But Youngstown is strong and we’ll figure something out. The mayor will reach out to them to see if they’ll reverse course and change their minds.”

 

The closure will result in the loss of 388 jobs.

 

MORE:

http://www.vindy.com/news/2018/aug/15/reports-northside-regional-medical-center-close/?nw

Big loss to the already struggling Northside....

 

UPDATE | Northside closing shocks city officials

Published August 15, 2018 at 11:08 a.m.

 

YOUNGSTOWN — City officials are shocked by the news today that Steward Health Care will close Northside Regional Medical Center as of Sept. 20.

 

“It came as a huge surprise, out of the blue,” said city Law Director Jeff Limbian, who received a call this morning from Steward’s attorneys that the hospital is shutting down. “This is difficult news. Every time we think we’re turning it around, we get kicked in the stomach. But Youngstown is strong and we’ll figure something out. The mayor will reach out to them to see if they’ll reverse course and change their minds.”

 

The closure will result in the loss of 388 jobs.

 

MORE:

http://www.vindy.com/news/2018/aug/15/reports-northside-regional-medical-center-close/?nw

I came into this world here. Sad but not surprising with St. E's not far away.

I'm surprised how underserved Youngstown is going to be left in terms of hospitals after this closure.  Mercy is Downtown, with a sizeable branch south in Boardman.  The Surgical Hospital is right around the corner from Mercy's Boardman branch, but looks like a pretty small facility.  Other than that, Youngstown residents will have to go to Warren, Sharon, or even Akron if they need a hospital.

St E's (Mercy) is 2 miles from NSH. It is on the north side just north of downtown.

I came into this world here. Sad but not surprising with St. E's not far away.

 

Yep, and further south, the OB/GYN unit at Salem Regional Medical Center (where I was born) closed in May, leaving all of Columbiana County without those services.

And it's nearly 400 jobs, the loss of which will also mean the loss of restaurants and retailing jobs in the area too. We saw what the closing of St. Alexis meant to Slavic Village, Huron Hospital to East Cleveland, or St. John to Cudell. Thankfully, Lakewood translated the closing of its hospital into a major redevelopment deal, but there's still a lot more work to do.

Indeed. I have family that works there. Retail is already struggling in the that area. It has been migrating further into Trumbull County (Liberty) for decades.

I hope it doesn't have too big of an effect on the area around the hospital. The part of the North Side it's in has been improving a lot and has a lot of businesses/restaurants around. It's definitely a shame to see the hospital go.

The reported financial impact to COY of this hospital closure will be in excess of $900,000 in City Tax revenue.  This closure will affect all aspects of the city budget. Congressman Bocchieri was interviewed last evening and he plans to begin talks with University Hospital, Southwoods and Cleveland Clinic to see if any of these organizations might bite on a purchase.  Mayor Brown has been dealt another difficult blow. 

 

Some more news on Downtown's main developer's legal trouble....

 

There are some more indictments in Youngstown related to the misuse of city money (specifically water department money) to various developers as well as bribery and general corruption. The Grand Jury has indicted former mayor Charles Sammarone, former City Finance Director Charles Bozanich, and developer Dominic Marchionda with 101 public corruption charges.

 

 

Marchionda is the owner of NYO Property Group, which was the main catalyst for Downtown's redevelopment. In addition to developing Downtown's DoubleTree Hotel, he has redeveloped several other Downtown buildings and skyscrapers and owns buildings and land all around the city's center and YSU. His company has a near monopoly on Downtown's apartment market and is by far the largest investor in Downtown's comeback. It's safe to say that Downtown would be absolutely nowhere near what it is now without Marchionda - The problem of course is that he was receiving money illegally from the city finance director in order to fund these redevelopment projects (except for the hotel). Marchionda has defended himself by pointing out that his projects have led to hundreds of permanent Downtown jobs, many of which are high paying. Despite what you think of Marchionda, you can't deny that this could really stall Downtown's development. Hopefully his company will continue to manage their apartments well and new developers will rise up to take his place.

Seems like a disproportionate number of big time businessman in Youngstown have had their share of legal trouble....  Before Marchionda, you had Michael Monus (founder of the 300-store Phar-Mor discount drug store chain who perpetrated a $1 billion fraud/embezzlement case), and Eddie DeBartolo who owned the San Francisco 49ers (extortion), plus J.J. and Anthony Cafaro (conspiracy to defraud). Read more at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/feb/01/oh-how-mighty-valley-have-fallen/

 

But my favorite story is this one, because so few people know it....  Russell Spitz unknowingly saved Youngstown's steel industry by modernizing a portion of the Brier Hill Works built in 1900 but only undertook one "heat" of the new electric-arc furnace and then shut it down, declaring bankruptcy shortly thereafter. But his modernized mill became an attractive investment for North Star Steel that later was bought by V&M which then undertook their 1-million-square-foot expansion of that mill less than a decade ago. It was all due to the risk-taking by Spitz who in 2013, at the age of 75, was indicted for a $4 million bank fraud case involving his Vision Power Systems Co. He never served time in prison because he died in 2015 at his Florida home before the case could be completed.

As much as things have changed in Y-town the more they remain the same.

Seems like a disproportionate number of big time businessman in Youngstown have had their share of legal trouble....  Before Marchionda, you had Michael Monus (founder of the 300-store Phar-Mor discount drug store chain who perpetrated a $1 billion fraud/embezzlement case), and Eddie DeBartolo who owned the San Francisco 49ers (extortion), plus J.J. and Anthony Cafaro (conspiracy to defraud). Read more at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/feb/01/oh-how-mighty-valley-have-fallen/

 

But my favorite story is this one, because so few people know it....  Russell Spitz unknowingly saved Youngstown's steel industry by modernizing a portion of the Brier Hill Works built in 1900 but only undertook one "heat" of the new electric-arc furnace and then shut it down, declaring bankruptcy shortly thereafter. But his modernized mill became an attractive investment for North Star Steel that later was bought by V&M which then undertook their 1-million-square-foot expansion of that mill less than a decade ago. It was all due to the risk-taking by Spitz who in 2013, at the age of 75, was indicted for a $4 million bank fraud case involving his Vision Power Systems Co. He never served time in prison because he died in 2015 at his Florida home before the case could be completed.

 

Another recent one was Ryan Sheridan. He owns a lot of businesses around town and a few important Downtown buildings that he of course failed to ever actually develop. Youngstown just can't get enough of its corruption! How fitting is it that the people who revitalized Downtown did it illegally and through very corrupt ways.....

Youngstown State University receives a $1.5 million gift from the Cafaro family

Rachel Abbey McCafferty

 

Youngstown State University will build an intramural sports field with the help of a $1.5 million gift from the Cafaro family.

 

The Cafaro Family Field intramural complex will be located along Elm Street on the north side of the campus. According to a news release, the field will have restrooms, seating and fencing and will be used for activities including soccer and lacrosse.

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/education/youngstown-state-university-receives-15-million-gift-cafaro-family

Enclave Student Apartments Opens:

The Enclave Student Apartments has recently opened and students have moved in for the fall semester! The MercyHealth Student Health Center portion of the development is still not complete. I believe there is still a possibility for retail space along Lincoln Avenue, but I'm not sure.

 

Here are some photos of the completed building from their Instagram page:

 

New $1.5 Million YSU Intramural Sports Complex:

 

The Cafaro Family has donated $1.5 million to Youngstown State University to build a new intramural sports complex on the north side of the campus. It will be located on the corner of Madison Avenue and Bryson Street in the Wick Park neighborhood. It is located in the parking lot behind the Flats at Wick Apartments and across the street from Ursuline High School. (Street View Link) The "Cafaro Family Field" will consist of a large sports field for lacrosse, soccer, rugby, and football. It will help serve YSU's eight intramural sports leagues. It will also be used by Cardinal Mooney and Ursuline High Schools for their lacrosse teams. It'll be nice to see YSU continue to spread into Wick Park - it's a neighborhood with a lot of potential and a big student population, but it is very underutilized. Luckily, some businesses are beginning to move in on the neighborhood's business district (I'll cover this later in this post) so hopefully Wick Park is on the upswing finally.

A rendering of Cafaro Family Field:

 

New Businesses Coming to Wick Park's Elm Street Business District:

 

Wick Park Historic District was once the city's first "millionaire row" but is now a shell of what it once was. The neighborhood has experienced heavy blight which has led to the loss of countless historic houses and mansions. Sadly most of the remaining ones are in bad shape and run by slumlords. The neighborhood should be ripe for gentrification due to it being home to so many university students and its beautiful old houses surrounding a park - but no one has really gotten the ball rolling on the neighborhood yet. That being said, it's been gradually improving each year despite the continued loss of historic homes.

 

 

Elm Street's 800 and 900 block serves as the neighborhood's business district. Thanks to some recent investment, this struggling yet quaint business district has begun to pick up some momentum. This is mostly thanks to Commonwealth Kitchen Incubator who took over a building in the neighborhood a few years ago. They began buying up other buildings and have been gradually renovating them. A popular business on the road is "Cultivate Co-Op Cafe" which is known for its unique menu and locally sourced foods.

 

 

A new coffee shop is coming to 818 Elm Street soon - Culturehouse Coffee Roasters. They have been in business for a while now, but this will be their first brick and mortar store. I'm really excited for this and I think it will help out the neighborhood a lot. YSU has a lot of student housing right next to Elm Street, but students rarely venture up into Elm Street - hopefully new businesses like this will gradually change that! They should open sometime this fall.

 

The future home of Culturehouse Coffee Roasters:

 

Unfortunately, Dorian Books, a popular business on Elm Street, is closing soon. The good news is that the owners of the building are going to put it to good use. The building will be transformed into a 100 seat singer's cabaret and event center, building on the success of their past Music on Madison events.

 

The Shagrin Building, which houses Dorian Books:

 

Elsewhere in Wick Park, a few houses are being bought up by Housing Authority and are being fixed up and subdivided into apartments for homeless veterans. It won't just be a shelter - the plan is to eventually have them transition into leasing the apartments permanently after completing job training programs and securing a steady income. I'm glad that they are going to use some of these vacant houses which would have been torn down otherwise.

 

One of the houses they will renovate (This is an older photo, it's been boarded up in recent years):

Great!

Hi!  I've been away for quite awhile, but I decided to stop back a few nights ago to see what was new.  I decided to log in, because I wanted to reply to this thread.  I was pretty familiar with most of the stuff posted, but not all.  And, even though I now work for the company who made some of the graphics/renderings, I've never seen them before.  So, I hope to make it a habit, again, to keep visiting.

 

It's a small point, but the second floor of Silver's Vogue Shop is not vacant.  It's the studio space for Jim Pernotto.  I don't know why they keep the windows boarded up.

 

Also, I don't think the corruption got the ball rolling on downtown revitalization; the development was already happening, when the corruption started taking place.  Ryan Sheridan's problems are completely unrelated to anything he was planning to do downtown.  He was the owner of several drug treatment centers, and his crimes were related to that.  But, when the gov't seized his assets, all work on his projects downtown stopped.  Interestingly, I just checked, and the property taxes on the Gallagher Building, which he owns, are up-to-date.

 

The amazing apartment in the Davis building was originally the residence of one of the architects who worked on the second floor.  He has since opened his own practice, and I assume sold the apartment to the remaining owners of the building.

 

I hope the move of the Welsh Congregational Church is able to move forward.  There is some controversy that I find interesting.  Although some descendants of the Wick family have made substantial donations to see that this project happens, another Wick descendant has come forward objecting to the project, saying that moving it to Wick Park is incompatible with the original purpose for which the park was intended.

 

I'm a resident of the Wick Park neighborhood.  Work in the neighborhood is very difficult, because the real estate market is "broken."  First, you can't just buy a house in this neighborhood.  If you look at Zillow.com or Realtor.com, you'll see that there are very few--if any--houses for sale.  Most of the vacant houses are in some kind of ownership limbo.  You'd need to initiate foreclosure, or work with the city, to start the process of taking possession of a house.  Second, you probably won't be able to get a mortgage to buy the house and/or pay for renovation/restoration.  Those of us who are fixing--or have fixed--our houses are doing so with our own cash, or unsecured credit.  This makes the process much slower than it would be if you could just get a home equity loan for $50k, to do all the work at once.  Third, you had better be doing the work out of love, because the work most of these homes need, will cost more than the house will be worth, after all the work has been done.  My house was in relatively good shape, didn't need a lot of major work, and I would be lucky to break even, if I had to sell it tomorrow.

 

Common Wealth, Inc. has done a lot to help improve the neighborhood, especially in the 800 and 900 blocks of Elm St., as was previously mentioned.  They also bought some of the houses adjacent to the location of the proposed coffee shop, and have converted them into office/business spaces.  The gray house next to the coffee shop building is what they are calling a "music hall."  It's not officially open, yet, but they have had a couple soft-opening events.  And, next to that, there is a shop called Her Primitive Ways, that sells teas, soaps, and incense, made from herbs and flowers she grows in the neighborhood.

 

The house being renovated by YMHA for veterans is another interesting project.  It was started several years ago.  But, they didn't account for the extra cost of doing such a project in a designated historic district.  So, they ran out of money, and had to mothball the project.  So, while I'm gad something is happening to the house, veterans are being helped off the streets, and the exterior is being restored to historic guidelines, I'm a little disappointed that the house is going to remain apartments, instead of being returned to a SFH.  And, I'm a little concerned that some of the future residents might be troubled, and will cause disruption in the neighborhood.

 

Hmm, sorry for the long post.  I think I addressed just about everything I wanted to.

 

It's a small point, but the second floor of Silver's Vogue Shop is not vacant.  It's the studio space for Jim Pernotto.  I don't know why they keep the windows boarded up.

 

The house being renovated by YMHA for veterans is another interesting project.  It was started several years ago.  But, they didn't account for the extra cost of doing such a project in a designated historic district.  So, they ran out of money, and had to mothball the project.  So, while I'm gad something is happening to the house, veterans are being helped off the streets, and the exterior is being restored to historic guidelines, I'm a little disappointed that the house is going to remain apartments, instead of being returned to a SFH.  And, I'm a little concerned that some of the future residents might be troubled, and will cause disruption in the neighborhood.

 

Hmm, sorry for the long post.  I think I addressed just about everything I wanted to.

 

Thanks for your input! I always assumed the second floor of Silver's was vacant - they really shouldn't keep the windows boarded up though. It makes the building look run down. And regarding the veteran house, I had the same thoughts. I wish that so many houses in Wick Park weren't sub-divided like that.

$2.3B in Development Projects Pending in Valley

October 2, 2018

 

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber reports 27 economic development projects are pending that if all come to fruition would result in a total investment of nearly $2.3 billion and 2,000 new jobs.

 

The forecast was released today in the chamber’s economic development newsletter.

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/2-3b-in-development-projects-pending-in-valley/

Anthony's-On-The-River Site Being Redeveloped:

 

So I haven't posted here much in a while but it's mostly because there's not much going on. Hopefully I can get Downtown soon and take some photos of the amphitheater construction site and some of the new businesses. Anyways, the Anthony's-On-The-River site is a large riverfront property in Mahoning Commons, which is directly across the bridge from Downtown. The site includes a two story building built in 1910 and a large parking lot. 

 

The site of the project:

The land was purchased by a group that is affiliated with Oak Hill Collaborative. The name of the development will be "Two Bridges" it appears. The developers plan to redevelop the original building by bringing in a new fine dining restaurant and an office on the second floor. They hope to have that phase done by early 2020. After that is when it gets potentially interesting. The developers are pretty ambitious and want to make the property a riverfront mixed use area. In phase 2, they plan to build townhouses or apartments where the parking lots currently are; however they say they are open to suggestions from the community. They have also offered some land to Youngstown CityScape to relocate the endangered Welsh Congregational Church to. Two Bridges wants to work with the B&O station across the street to develop a riverfront trail and some small boat docks.

 

The current building on the property:

 

Hopefully this works out. It will be a huge asset to the riverfront and will bring a lot of attention to a currently underutilized side of Downtown. It will be located right next to the planned bike-lane connecting YSU, Downtown, and Mill Creek Park. It will also be only one bridge crossing away from the amphitheater park and all of Downtown, so it will be a walkable location.

 

That's awesome! For people that don't know, the grant will be used for improving transportation infrastructure in Downtown. It will rebuild Fifth, Rayen, Commerce, and Front Streets as complete streets, add bike lanes, an "autonomous shuttle," and possibly a bike share system. If Youngstown actually manages to be competent and not misuse their funding for once, this could be great for us.

 

 

I still think the project has some pretty big flaws though. Like why on earth would they include a random East Side factory development as a stop for this "autonomous shuttle"? It makes no sense to me. Plus the autonomous shuttle route as a whole is pathetic and will get no ridership. It doesn't even run into the center of Downtown really.

Packard Apartments Set for $4.1M Makeover

December 13, 2018

 

WARREN, Ohio – A $675,000 Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit will support renovation of the Packard Apartments building in downtown.

The tax credit is part of the financing package for the $4.1 million renovation project that will create 17 market-rate apartments at 318 N. Park Ave., the Ohio Development Services Agency announced Wednesday.

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/packard-apartments-set-for-4-1m-makeover/

Pretty small news, but Youngstown (finally) got wayfinding signs installed. If I get to Downtown anytime soon, I'll take photos of them. But here's a photo posted by NYO Property Group:

 

 

 

Also, Chipotle and a Mercy Health Clinic are moving into the Enclave development on the corner of Wick and Lincoln in the YSU area. Despite being a one story building, the "retail" portion of Enclave doesn't look that bad. I wish it extended down Lincoln more however. I could only find one (crappy) photo of the building:

 

 

$1M Real Estate Deal Will Bring Campus Lofts Downtown

By Jeremy Lydic | January 10, 2019

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A new, state-of-the-art student housing complex will replace two buildings at the corner of Wick and Rayen avenues, a local real estate developer said Wednesday.

In December, Campus Lofts LLC purchased properties at 236 N. Champion St. and 235 Wick Ave., the Penguin Place property and former St. Vincent de Paul Building, respectively. Each building was purchased for $512,500, records show, for a total $1.025 million.

https://businessjournaldaily.com/1m-real-estate-deal-will-bring-campus-lofts-downtown/

Awesome news! That corner will look a lot different with the Enclave on one side and these new lofts on the other. I wish they'd add retail along Wick Ave. to the plans in order to help bridge the gap between Downtown and YSU campus. I'm anxious to see more detailed plans/renderings.

 

 

EDIT: And, the Central branch library on the other corner of that intersection is getting massive renovations done soon.

Edited January 10, 20196 yr by Dblcut3

Meijer, Big Lots Make Moves at Eastwood

By George Nelson | January 16, 2019

NILES, Ohio – Howland Township officials will consider variance requests Thursday evening related to the proposed Meijer supercenter on the site of the closed Super Kmart at the Eastwood Mall Complex.  

The Cafaro Co., Niles, which developed and owns the mall complex, has an agreement in place with Meijer Stores Ltd., based in Grand Rapids, Mich., for the property, said Joe Bell, director of corporate communications. 

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/meijer-big-lots-make-moves-at-eastwood/

Rehabilitate or lose it: Youngstown launches new blight program

https://www.wkbn.com/amp/news/local-news/rehabilitate-or-lose-it-youngstown-launches-new-blight-program/1776430441

 

Edited February 13, 20196 yr by KJP

Cafaro Entity Buys Dillard’s Building for $8.92M

By Andrea Wood | February 15, 2019

BOARDMAN, Ohio – A newly formed entity whose address is the same as the Cafaro Co. headquarters in Niles purchased the building that houses the Dillard’s department store at the Southern Park Mall on the same day that it was announced the store would close in May.

The sale price for the building was $8.92 million, according to the Mahoning County auditor’s office. The buyer is Boardman SC LLC, which lists its address as 5577 Youngstown Warren Road in Niles – the Cafaro building. The transaction closed Feb. 13.

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/cafaro-entity-buys-dillards-building-for-8-92m/

On 2/13/2019 at 10:24 AM, KJP said:

Rehabilitate or lose it: Youngstown launches new blight program

https://www.wkbn.com/amp/news/local-news/rehabilitate-or-lose-it-youngstown-launches-new-blight-program/1776430441

 

I see that mainly is targeting Parkway Towers in Wick Park - it would be cool if YSU could use it for something. It's close to campus and there's a large student population in the neighborhood already. 

Timeline for Downtown Youngstown Infrastructure Improvements Much Shorter Than Anticipated

 

Recently, Youngstown secured $26 million in both federal and private funding for massive infrastructure improvements in the Downtown area.

 

• Fifth Avenue will be reduced from 6 lanes to 2 lanes with bike lanes and bus lanes - the project will start in March 2020. Sadly this only will be from Federal to Madison Ave. Expressway. The whole infrastructure plan seems to neglect Wick Park which is a shame due to its huge potential.
• Front Street will be receiving improvements and reduced from four lanes to 2 lanes with bike lanes. This will help connect the new riverfront park and amphitheater to the center of Downtown.
• Several stoplights are being removed in Downtown and in the YSU campus area, especially on Wick and Front Streets.
• City Council is currently reviewing plans to turn North Phelps between Federal and Commerce into a pedestrian plaza similar to East Fourth in Cleveland.

 

The city released a detailed press release with plans and detailed maps going over the exact improvements that are anticipated. Here is the link.

$925M Power Plant On Track for Summer Groundbreaking

By Dan O'Brien | February 22, 2019

LORDSTOWN, Ohio— The groundbreaking for $925 million combined-cycle energy plant at the Lordstown Industrial Park could be held as early as this summer, according to the project’s developer.

Bill Siderewicz, president of Clean Energy Future LLC, said that his company is in the process of raising construction funding for the Trumbull Energy Center, now that a legal dispute that dogged the project for more than a year ended on Friday. Huntington Bank and Key Bank have both expressed intreat in loaning debt capital to the project.

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/agreement-reached-to-advance-2nd-lordstown-power-plant/

City Panel OKs Demolition for $10M Student Housing

By George Nelson | March 5, 2019

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The city’s Design Review Committee today approved the demolition of two buildings just north of downtown to make way for a new student housing complex expected to cost more than $10 million.

Trilogy Realty & Development in Canfield hopes to start construction by June and have the 200-plus-unit complex completed in time for Youngstown State University’s fall 2020 semester, Kevin Willis, an architect with Strollo Architects, Youngstown said at today’s meeting of the committee.

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/city-panel-oks-demolition-for-10m-student-housing/

Groundbreaking Nears with Approval of TJX Site Plan

By George Nelson | March 12, 2019

LORDSTOWN, Ohio – Mayor Arno Hill is anticipating a groundbreaking in early or mid-April on a $170 million regional distribution center following last night’s vote by the Lordstown Planning Commission.

The village planning commission unanimously gave conditional approval for the site plan presented by TJX Companies Inc. for a regional distribution center it plans to build on approximately 300 acres in Lordstown. The commission also approved a pair of variances for the project. The warehouse would serve TJX’s HomeGoods chain of stores.

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/tjx-gets-conditional-approval-site-plan/

B&O Station becomes new brewery location for Penguin City Beer

https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/b-o-station-becomes-new-brewery-location-for-penguin-city-beer/1849417426

7 hours ago, KJP said:

B&O Station becomes new brewery location for Penguin City Beer

https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/b-o-station-becomes-new-brewery-location-for-penguin-city-beer/1849417426

Awesome! And with the ambitious plans in place for the former Anthonys on the River site across the street, that part of the riverfront could really become a great place! Not to mention, the amphitheater and park will be right across the bridge.

Here's a photo of the amphitheater I found from a news article. It will open in early June:

 

Edited March 23, 20196 yr by Dblcut3

A better view of the amphitheater: 

The Amphitheater will be open in June and the concert lineup will be announced this month. The management recently announced a partnership with LiveNation who is helping to book national acts. JAC Management claims there will be a mix of national acts and local acts or events this summer. I'm really excited to see this project continue. Once the whole park is done it will be a great asset to Downtown and the riverfront!

Concept Studio Opening:

 

Concept Studio opened up this month in the Davis Building in Downtown. The David Building, built in 1899, was one of the first revitalized buildings in Downtown but never really had a first floor retail tenant. Concept Studio is an "open concept gathering space." In other words, it is an open space that can be reserved to be used for business meetings, popup shops, events, ect. They held their first event this week (still going on until Saturday), the Spring Pop-Up Market. The Market has 4 vendors, Branch Street Roasters, Blush Boutique, Kabocha, and Charm House Decor. It's cool to see something like this come to the Davis Building, and I hope it is used a lot! The only downside of this is that it isn't a permanent restaurant or retail shop - this block of Federal only has two restaurants (Joe Maxx Coffee and Draught House) so I wish more permanent shops or restaurants would come to the block. Also, having Branch Street at this popup market still makes me lament the fact that their plans to open up Downtown fell through...

 

The Davis Building:

 

The inside:

 

 

The Spring Pop-Up Market:

 

 

Unfortunately there hasn't been too much news in terms of new businesses in Downtown. There's some projects going on by YSU however such as renovations to Stambaugh Stadium, new luxury student housing on Wick Ave., and the Cafaro Sports Complex which is coming to the Wick Park neighborhood. 

Amazon Leases Building for Small Distribution Center

By Dan O'Brien | April 17, 2019

 

NORTH JACKSON, Ohio – Online retail giant Amazon will establish its first presence in the Mahoning Valley with a small-scale distribution center and warehouse at the Youngstown Commerce Park that should be operational by this summer.

So says Lee Burdman, managing partner of Redstone Investments in Girard, which owns a 43,200-square-foot warehouse and distribution center at the park that Amazon has leased.

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/is-amazon-on-its-way-to-north-jackson/

EGCC’s Plans for Harshman Building

See what Eastern Gateway Community College has in store for the newly renovated Harshman Building.

Copyright 2019 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.

https://businessjournaldaily.com/egccs-plans-for-harshman-building/

 

EGCC Envisions Greenspace Between Downtown Buildings

By George Nelson | April 18, 2019

 

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Creating a greenspace on Boardman Street between Eastern Gateway Community College’s two buildings is part of Arthur Daly’s long-term vision for the growing downtown campus. 

Daly, Eastern Gateway’s Youngstown campus vice president, shared the concept with members of the Western Reserve Port Authority’s board of directors Wednesday. The port authority board held its regular monthly meeting in Eastern Gateway’s new classroom space in the former Harshman Building, 101 E. Boardman St. The community college uses the first floor as space for nursing classes and labs.

 

https://businessjournaldaily.com/egcc-envisions-greenspace-between-downtown-buildings/