Neighborhoods

Thursday, May 12, 2022

On Wednesday, May 11 at the Jaylex Event Center the City of Youngstown, Boardman Township, Mill Creek MetroParks and YNDC held a public open house for the Glenwood Active Transportation Plan.

The planning consultants (GPD Group) presented a preliminary DRAFT plan for residents to review and provide detailed feedback. The public open house was attended by more than 75 residents and stakeholders. The feedback from the open house will be used to further revise and update the plans for the corridor. Stayed tuned for more information!

Glenwood Avenue is one of Youngstown’s main roads, running north to south through the South Side from Mahoning Avenue to Midlothian Boulevard.

Now, the city is putting together a plan to renovate Glenwood. The actual work is still a long way away but Wednesday evening, the community was presented with the start of a plan.

Drawings of what is and what could be lined the walls of Youngstown’s Jaylex Event Center on Wednesday as the 50 people at the meeting gazed at the first draft of the future of Glenwood Avenue.

“This is an initial feasibility study to look at options for the Glenwood Avenue corridor,” said Chris Tolnar with GPD Group of Youngstown.

Tolnar helped guide people through the many drawings. It was Tolnar’s architectural firm that devised the plan.

The photos that received a lot of attention were of the Glenwood-Canfield Road intersection. One possibility, make it a “T” intersection with nearby Idora Avenue or possibly replace the current traffic light with a roundabout, freely sending people in all directions.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

Thursday, May 12, 2022

On Thursday, May 12, the KeyBank Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant to YNDC for emergency repair.

The funds will be used for the emergency home repair program to assist low income homeowners with emergencies such as furnace and plumbing repairs at no cost. Many thanks to the KeyBank Foundation for the support!

Monday, May 17, 2022

On May 16, 2022, the Premier Bank Foundation awarded a $35,000 grant to YNDC for emergency repair.

The funds will be used for the emergency home repair program to assist low income homeowners with emergencies such as furnace and plumbing repairs at no cost. Huge thank you to the Premier Bank Foundation for the continued support!

A fresh market that opened on Glenwood Avenue one month ago is making a positive impact on the community.

The Glenwood Fresh Market has been staying busy with customers coming in and out every Tuesday and Thursday eager to buy some fresh produce. A few customers say it has had a positive impact on their overall health and wellbeing.

“We try to eat healthy so this helps with that too with all the vegetables and everything,” said customer Brenda Matson.

Matson is a frequent customer who goes to the Glenwood Fresh Market with her husband at least once a week.

“We’re on fixed income as I’m sure most people are that come here. It’s really hard to go to the store and pay $3 for a head of lettuce when you know you can come down here and get it for free,” she said.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

In 2013, after having lived in Youngstown my entire life, I was the victim of an attempted home invasion.

I was there when the would-be intruder broke the glass in an effort to come through my back door. Naturally, I was left shaken for months. And no one in my community matched my outrage. It’s not that the people around me weren’t generally concerned about my safety. But being a Youngstown native, I was expected to be used to crime in my community. This attitude and expectation is not unique to our city. In many Black neighborhoods across the country, violence — particularly gun violence — is something we’ve just come to accept as part of what comes with living in certain ZIP codes. We acknowledge it. But we often feel like the only options available to us are to live with it or move. In order for a community to be truly transformed, the members of that community have to be actively involved in the transformation. That’s something I staunchly believe in. Like Patricia Stokes, the neighborhood steward for the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation says, “You’re living this! You know what’s going on in your neighborhood. So you’re able to talk about what needs to be done.”

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

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

On Tuesday, May 17, the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley awarded YNDC with a $125,000 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!

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Wayne had been house hunting for a while and almost gave up until he came across one of YNDC’s listings.

Wayne instantly fell in love with the home - the ample space, that it was fully move-in ready, and that his home can now be a place for extended family to get together. Every aspect of this home was exactly what he was looking for. Wayne is a first time home buyer and this experience has changed his life a lot. Through housing counseling, Wayne was set up for success, and he highly recommends YNDC's HUD-Approved Housing Counseling program for anyone in the home buying process, especially for those who are first time home buyers. “When I walked into this house, I knew it was home. It just instantly felt like this is where I belonged all along and that my search was really over. I was so impressed by the quality of work and just the overall vibe in the house,” Wayne said.

Congratulations, Wayne! Thank you for your investment in Youngstown’s neighborhoods and best wishes in your new home!

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

The Glenwood Plaza continues to see improvements.

In addition to Glenwood Fresh Market, the plaza is now home to Inspiring Minds Youngstown and Protestant Family Service. Both organizations are occupying newly updated units. Exterior work on the plaza is largely complete including the addition of the hand painted Glenwood Plaza sign. In the coming months a restaurant and one more business will open. 

The Raymond John Wean Foundation hosted the Mahoning Valley Community Development learning visit earlier this month, offering their Akron peers the opportunity to learn more about the strategic partnership between the Wean Foundation, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership (TNP) and Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC).

The Akron group included representatives from Akron Community Foundation, the City of Akron, GAR Foundation and Huntington Bank,which are consulting with Joel Ratner, former Wean president, to build their community development organizations. During the daylong visit, the group toured TNP, visited the Wean Foundation for a panel discussion and wrapped up the day with a tour of YNDC.

During a panel discussion, Jennifer Roller, Wean Foundation president, Matt Martin, TNP executive director, and Ian Beniston, YNDC executive director, shared with the group how the strategic partner relationship has developed over the past decade and the efforts to ensure the work in communities persists.

“Resident-centered neighborhood revitalization, that’s our collective vision,” Roller said.

“We are incredibly impressed by the resourcefulness and partnership among the Wean Foundation, TNP and YNDC,” said Bronlynn Thurman, program officer at GAR Foundation.

To see the full story from Tribune Chronicle, click here.