Neighborhoods

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

On Wednesday, June 9, YNDC broke ground on the construction of two new homes on Mineral Springs Avenue.

The properties will be 1,275 square feet, one story homes and will be rented affordably upon completion. Many partners made this project possible including: Idora Neighborhood Association, Mahoning County Land Bank, PNC Bank, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, City of Youngstown, Councilwoman Lauren McNally, and Joe Koch Construction. This project is part of ongoing efforts to stabilize the Idora neighborhood and greater Glenwood Avenue corridor. 

Financing for the project is provided by PNC Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh. The lots were provided by the Mahoning County Land Bank, and the homebuilder is Joe Koch Construction.

Next week, Youngstown City Council will vote on whether to save a historic home and whether to demolish a historic structure.

The home being saved is on Old Furnace Road and once housed the superintendent of Mill Creek Park. It’s over 100 years old and has been vacant for about 20 years.

The plan is for Mill Creek to sell the house to Youngstown for $1 and then donate it to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation to renovate. It would eventually be sold or rented out.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

Four hundred years ago, epic English poet John Milton lamented the downfall of civilization as he knew it in his masterpiece work titled “Paradise Lost.”

Don’t look now, but we may have just spotted that lost paradise smack dab in the heart of the Mahoning Valley. Indeed throngs of people are flocking to Milton’s namesake community on the banks of his namesake lake.

Indeed the many amenities of Lake Milton in western Mahoning County are attracting swarms of new residents building lavish so-called McMansion homes at a pace that the zoning inspector for Milton Township calls “amazing.”

As Vindicator staff writer Ed Runyan reported in a recent front page enterprise story, the housing boom in the Milton and Craig Beach communities is nothing short of phenomenal. Michael Kurilla Jr., who has served as zoning inspector in Milton and other local communities for 35 years, said he’s never seen anything like this growth spurt.

“We shake our head. It’s just amazing. You can’t keep up. I would say this year is going to be the peak of this residential housing boom we are seeing,” Kurilla said.

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

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation has acquired the historic Foster Theater located at 2504 Glenwood Avenue.

The Foster Theater was constructed in 1938 by Joseph Shagrin and the project architect was Morris Scheibel, who designed many prominent Youngstown buildings. The theater originally began as a movie theater. As the postwar era wore on, the Foster, and theaters in general, faced greater competition than ever as television became more prevalent. Shagrin adapted by making the Foster Youngstown’s home for art films. Shagrin retired in 1965 and sold the Foster to Louis Sher. Sher initially managed a chain of Art House Theaters, but as mainstream cinema became more popular, he began showing adult films. In a decade when many of the downtown movie palaces shuttered, the Foster remained viable in this new niche. Dee Barber bought the Foster in 1994 and continued operation until recently.

YNDC will develop a plan to make significant improvements and reuse the building in a productive and financially sustainable manner. This project is part of ongoing work to revitalize the greater Glenwood Avenue corridor.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

On Tuesday, June 15 the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley awarded YNDC with a $62,500 grant for emergency home repair.

The funds will be used to assist residents of owner-occupied, single family homes with emergency repairs such as roof replacements, furnace repairs and replacements, and plumbing repairs at NO COST. Big thanks to the United Way for the ongoing support of this critical program!

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

On Tuesday, June 8, The Youngstown Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to YNDC for the renovation of 2915 Glenwood Avenue.

The funds will be used to renovate the vacant retail plaza into a modern retail facility with multiple units for neighborhood serving businesses. This project is part of ongoing efforts to improve the greater Glenwood Avenue corridor. Huge thanks to The Youngstown Foundation for the support!

The Foster Theater on Glenwood Avenue was originally built in 1938 and began as a movie theater.

As competition for theaters grew, the Foster transformed into a home for art films and later adult movies.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation has acquired a former adult theater in Youngstown with a lot of history.

The Foster Theater on Glenwood Avenue was originally built in 1938 and began as a movie theater. As competition for theaters grew, the Foster transformed into a home for art films and later adult movies.

Dee Barber bought the Foster in 1994 and continued the operation until recently, according to YNDC.

Ian Beniston, the executive director for YNDC, explained the reasoning behind the purchase.

“We bought the building simply because we wanted to make it something productive. We didn’t want it to be a pornographic theater anymore. We’re standing a block from Neighborhood Park,” said Beniston.

YNDC does a lot of work in the same area as the theatre. It’s all part of work to revitalize the greater Glenwood Avenue corridor.

To see the full story from WYTV, click here.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. purchased the Foster Art Theatre primarily to close the pornographic movie venue.

“Our purpose was to remove the XXX theater along the Glenwood (Avenue) corridor,” said Tiffany Sokol, YNDC’s housing director. “We wanted it gone. We also want to preserve the structure. We don’t have a specific plan yet, but it’s our goal to repurpose the building.”

YNDC purchased the theater at 2504 Glenwood Ave. from Dee Barber, the owner since 1994, for $99,999, she said.

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

Determining a new purpose for a former adult theater on the South Side likely will be a lengthy process, said the executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., the building’s new owner.

 YNDC acquired the Foster Theater property at 2504 Glenwood Ave. on June 9, according to Mahoning County records. 

“This is going to be a fairly long process to figure out what to do with it,” said Ian Beniston. “It’s going to take time.”

YNDC paid $99,999 to buy the shuttered theater from Delores Barber of Youngstown, Beniston said, and received the keys Monday afternoon. The sale price was more than double the last appraised value of the property – $43,050, in 2017 – but he considered removing the property as a venue for X-rated movies “very important.”  

The theater was built in 1938 and reflected “very much of a modern style in terms of the sleek façade on it and all of the materials in the theater itself,” said Bill Lawson, executive director of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society. 

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