Neighborhoods

The board of directors for the Western Reserve Port Authority unanimously approved the acquisition of properties along Mahoning Avenue, where a yet-to-be-named company will develop the site.

The city of Youngstown’s Board of Control approved selling the 12-parcel, 1.5-acre site to the port authority for $1,601.78 at its meeting Jan. 23. The site fronts the corridor at 1586 and 1588 Mahoning Ave.

John Moliterno, executive director of the port authority, declined to give information on the company that will use the site. At last week’s Board of Control meeting, WRPA director of economic development Anthony Trevena said he expected the company to make its announcement in a month or two.

“We’re going to defer to them on an announcement,” Moliterno said. “We can say they’re excited about this project.”

The project will be an important step in the development of Mahoning Avenue, Moliterno said, that could get the ball rolling on other projects.

“You need that first stone to start moving and once it starts, people can see that things are happening,” he said after the port authority’s monthly meeting Thursday. “They can see that they can be successful putting a business on that avenue. It will encourage more people to come to the city.”

WRPA is working with Economic Action Group, which used a $16,000 capacity-building grant from the Raymond John Wean Foundation to commission Novogradac to conduct a commercial property revitalization study. It pegged the Mahoning Avenue corridor as one of the top three in Youngstown for development.

“We’re following the data and making sure our targeted investments line up with it,” said Nick Chretien, executive director of Economic Action Group. 

Other corridors in the city have seen development at various stages in recent years, he continued, including a study by Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, the city of Youngstown and Liberty Township to pinpoint opportunities along Belmont Avenue and Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.’s work along Glenwood Avenue.

To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation is seeking donations to help revitalize a property as a Neighborhood Action Center.

The historic home at 1810 Volney Road was built by Emery McKelvey in 1927 and was later used for decades as a Carmelite monastery and worship center, led by Father Richard Madden, an organizer and spiritual leader, according to a news release.

The property was donated to YNDC in late 2019, and YNDC plans to improve parking and outdoor meeting space, upgrade mechanical systems and restore the first floor. 

To see the full story from Mahoning Matters, click here.

Monday, February 3, 2020

Using economic impact multipliers from the National Association of Home Builders and other sources, YNDC has calculated the cumulative 10-year impact of its neighborhood revitalization work, valued over $61,000,000, supporting and creating at least 64 jobs each year.

Download the report below.

The former Carmelite Monastery, which drew thousands of worshippers from across the Mahoning Valley on weekends to hear the sermons of Fr. Richard Madden, will take on a new role in the South Side neighborhood where it is located.

Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., which recently inherited the property, 1810 Volney Road, already has started working on renovations. YNDC plans to use the new neighborhood action center to provide meeting space for YNDC and community groups and, eventually, residential space on its upper levels.

To see the full story from The Business Journal, click here.

There was a time when, on a nice, summer Saturday night, it was standing room only for Catholics at one of Fr. Richard Madden’s outdoor masses.

They were held at the Carmelite Monastery on Volney Road, which overlooks Mill Creek Park.

In the 1980s, Fr. Madden was dismissed from the Carmelite Order for disobedience but still held masses at the monastery. People went, especially when mass was held outside.

But, Fr. Madden died in 2012 and the property’s caretaker died last year, giving the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) control of the land and the house.

Now, the plan is to raise some money and fix it up.

YNDC plans to refurbish the outdoor area to use for community events and plans to renovate the entire house, which was built in 1927 by Emery McKelvey, of department store fame.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. wants to turn a former monastery on the city’s South Side into a place where public and neighborhood groups can meet.

It needs to raise $20,000 to make that possible. The building at 1810 Volney Road was donated to YNDC late last year in the will of Cece Bersch, who supported the organization and died in 2019.

It’s an historic home, built in 1927 by Emery McKelvey, then the general manager of McKelvey’s Department Store in downtown Youngstown. It is 5,572 square feet.

In the 1950s, it became a Carmelite monastery and worship center led by the Rev. Richard Madden, who died in 2012, said Ian Beniston, its executive director.

The organization has established a GoFundMe account and is accepting donations by mail at YNDC, 820 Canfield Road, Youngstown, OH 44511.

YNDC doesn’t normally seek donations for its projects, but this is a unique case, Beniston said.

“We generally pay for our own because we’re seeking to rent or sell properties” after improving them, he said. “This is different. This won’t pay for itself so we need money to create meeting space.”

YNDC plans to use the first floor of the property — a former church and meeting space — as a location for neighborhood groups and other organizations to meet at no cost, Beniston said.

“It’s primary use would be for community and neighborhood events,” he said. “We’re not marketing it for weddings. That’s not our spirit and intent.”

Work needed to the location, Beniston said, includes improvements to the parking area as well as electrical and plumbing improvements, painting and new furnishings.

The agency will eventually improve the building’s upper two floors and use it for rental housing, which is what it was in recent years after it stopped being a monastery, Beniston said.

To see the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

If there’s one word that sums up the immense changes in banking over the last decade – and most likely those coming in the new decade – it is likely “technology.”

Over the past 10 years, technology has enabled PNC customers to change the way they do banking and handle financial transactions. It is common today for people to pay bills online and manage their bank accounts on the internet or their mobile phones, and many apply for and complete loans digitally. 

At PNC, this has been done through significant investments in technology. For example, PNC has enhanced mobile and online banking by enabling customers to digitally shop for and buy a car or a house. 

In 2020, PNC will continue to expand its digital capabilities by launching new products that will make banking easier for customers. Among the expected upgrades this year is a dramatic advancement in the way customers apply for and are approved for mortgages, either online or through a smartphone.

Local Connection

What won’t change is PNC’s focus on personal relationships with its customers. As a “main street bank,” PNC has the services of a large bank with the personalization of a locally owned business.

While we financially support many local efforts such as the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.’s redevelopment of existing houses and the centennial celebration of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, our employees are also directly involved in our community. 

To see the full story from The Business Journal, click here.

The Mahoning County Land Reutilization Corp., commonly known as the Mahoning County Land Bank, is shifting its efforts from demolition work to revitalization projects through residential rehabilitation, greening strategies and more.

It has worked with local governments, community partners and neighbors to complete hundreds of demolitions between 2012 and 2019, officials say. This has occurred through the Moving Ohio Forward demolition grant program funded by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Neighborhood Initiative Program demolition grant funded by the Ohio Housing Financing Agency. 

NIP has supported 1,100 demolitions in Mahoning County and tens of thousands across the state in recent years, but is expected to end this year.

In Campbell alone, the Land Bank leveraged $1.2 million over three years to complete targeted improvements. These comprised acquiring more than 100 properties, completing 97 demolitions, establishing Bright Avenue Park and preserving, renovating and selling six houses previously targeted for demolition, according to Debora Flora, executive director of the land bank.

“The Neighborhood Initiative Program was an opportunity to rejuvenate residential areas after property abandonment had inflicted great damage,” says Flora. “We removed vacant, blighted houses from streets and inserted green spaces as new neighborhood assets. We were happy to work with city leaders and the community to build a strong, healthier community that people are proud to work and live in.”

The land bank expects to renovate more houses in the years ahead as funding for housing demolitions declines, she notes.

The land bank recently completed an exhaustive renovation of a split-level Austintown house once deemed a “nuisance” by the township. 

“We’re glad the township thought of us as a helpful resource in restoring this home,” Flora says. “Years ago, we did a small handful of these rehabilitation projects. But in more recent years, we’ve been focused on demolitions and greening projects. This renovation marked our return to this kind of work.”

The land bank hopes to continue to work with townships by taking vacant houses off their hands and restoring them, then putting them back on the market at a fair price.

“With our market rehab program, we’re able to see the transformation firsthand from start to finish,” says Roger Smith, land bank director of planning, acquisition and disposition. “Typically, we acquire properties and then our qualified owner-occupants or investors rehab them. With this program, we’re the ones doing the renovation and can see it through each step of the way.”

The land bank also relies on its partnerships to bring life back to houses and neighborhoods, including its recent projects with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. The land bank acquired and demolished structures on several properties, which cleared the space for YNDC to build three new houses. The land bank also acquired and transferred the house that would mark YNDC’s 100th house renovation, Flora notes.

To see the full story from The Business Journal, click here.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Kyle and Kimberly were both born and raised in Youngstown and wanted to stay local. They had been house hunting for a very long time before they came across the listing for YNDC's new construction at 4329 Helena Avenue.

They instantly fell in love with the home - the space that their home provides, that it was fully move-in ready, and the Handel's Neighborhood where it is located. Every aspect of this home was exactly what they were looking for. They are both first time home buyers and this experience has changed their lives a lot. The increased responsibility of owning a home and caring for a larger space has been an exciting new challenge for the couple. Through housing counseling, the homeowners were set up for success and they highly recommend YNDC's HUD-Approved Housing Counseling program for anyone in the homebuying process, especially for those who are first time home buyers. Congratulations, Kyle and Kimberly! Thank you both for your investment in Youngstown’s neighborhoods and best wishes in your new home!

Huntington Bank rolled out new products and services in 2019 and also earned honors for customer satisfaction.

For the second year in a row, Huntington Bank was the nation’s largest originator by volume of Small Business Administration 7(a) loans, based on figures at the close of SBA fiscal 2019. It was the 11th consecutive year the bank led in the category.

Huntington claimed the top spots in the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Banking App Satisfaction Study and the U.S. Online Banking Satisfaction Study. Both awards demonstrate the bank’s commitment to listening to customers, says William C. Shivers, regional president of Huntington Bank in the Mahoning Valley and Canton regions.

In May, Huntington rolled out a new business banking product suite with four aspects: fraud protection, unlimited transactions, simplicity and active insights. As a result, the deposit product suite contains two new checking accounts that include unlimited transactions.

Huntington also last year launched Zelle on its mobile and online banking platforms. Zelle enables person-to-person payment capabilities for its consumer banking customers.

Early in 2019, the bank was recognized by Greenwich Associates for excellence in the delivery of small business banking, middle-market banking and cash management services that help businesses.

Huntington middle-market banking received five national Greenwich Excellence Awards.

Financial literacy remained a focus for Huntington through financial support and classroom volunteerism. Huntington colleagues present financial literacy education using Junior Achievement curriculum as well as Huntington’s Reality Day programming, Shivers notes.

For the second consecutive year, Huntington adopted McGuffey Elementary School through the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley’s Success After 6 Program. Huntington also works closely with the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown to deliver financial literacy sessions to participating students.

The year 2019 marked the ninth-consecutive year Huntington gave away nearly 1,000 backpacks to help children get ready for the school year.

Neighborhood and economic development are also focal points for Huntington. The bank is involved with Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, as well as Youngstown Business Incubator and area chambers of commerce.

To see the full story from The Business Journal, click here.