Neighborhoods

A potential economic development project on a 1.5-acre site on the West Side represents just one step in plans to redevelop key local corridors.

City officials and representatives of the Western Reserve Port Authority are tight-lipped about the project, which they caution is in its early stages.

At its meeting Thursday, the city’s Board of Control approved selling 12 parcels, which include buildings and vacant lots to the west of Casa Ramirez on Mahoning Avenue, from the city’s land bank to the port authority for $1,601.78.

The port authority is “helping us with an economic development project,” confirmed Nikki Posterli, chief of staff to Mayor Jamael Tito Brown and director of the city’s department of community planning and economic development. She declined to disclose the nature of the project.

“I just want to make sure that I’m careful we don’t put the cart before the horse,” she said.

“We think highly of the owners of the company and what they want to do with the property,” John Moliterno, executive director of the port authority, said. “It’d be unfair for us to make that kind of announcement. That’s their announcement to make.”

Anthony Trevena, the port authority’s director of economic development, was similarly reluctant to share details but expected an announcement within a month or two.

“We can’t prepare this property for development without possession, without some control,” he said. The port authority’s board of directors will vote next Thursday on a resolution authorizing Moliterno to sign to take possession of the property. “Once the board takes possession, we can begin serious discussions with the developer.”

The port authority will provide whatever services are needed for the company to bring the project to fruition, Moliterno said.

The site isn’t one the port authority is worried about having to develop, whether with the company now in discussions for it or another entity. “It’s a great property. It’s a great neighborhood. It’s a great location,” Trevena said.

A Commercial Property Revitalization – or CPR – study prepared by Novogradac, a nationwide professional services firm, with assistance from Economic Action Group, identified Mahoning Avenue as one of the top three commercial corridors in Youngstown for development potential. The study based that assessment on factors including high traffic count, high walkability, proximity to federal Opportunity Zones and high diversity of commercial uses.

The Raymond John Wean Foundation provided EAG and its partners with a $16,000 capacity-building grant that it used to pay for the CPR study, Nick Chretien, EAG program director, said. Partners in the CPR study also include the port authority, the cities of Youngstown and Warren, land bank programs in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, Youngstown State University, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership and Boardman Township.

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

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Cheryl has lived in her home and has struggled with its condition for over sixteen years.

She was using space heaters and her stove to keep warm, her roof was leaking, her siding was badly deteriorated, and there were many other issues with her home. In 2019, Cheryl was able to receive assistance through YNDC’s Owner Occupied Home Repair program to address the issues with her home. YNDC replaced the furnace, roof, siding, and also made repairs to her walls, plumbing, and electrical systems. The work to make Cheryl’s home a safe and quality living space was made possible through the financial support of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh’s Affordable Housing Program. Cheryl was sincerely grateful for the improvements to her home and said, “My house looks amazing. I am so proud of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation for fixing my house. It’s a blessing.”

The pending merger of Home Savings Bank and First Federal Bank of Defiance will not impact the bank's long-standing charitable foundation, a foundation that has donated more than $17 million over the last 30 years.

The pending merger of Home Savings Bank and First Federal Bank of Defiance will not impact the bank's long-standing charitable foundation, a foundation that has donated more than $17 million over the last 30 years.

Established in 1991, the Home Savings Foundation has been generous in its donations to worthy programs and organizations that make life better in the valley. $60,000 to The United Way, $25,000 to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, $5,000  to Lakeview Schools.

To see the full story from WFMJ, click here.

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.