Neighborhoods

As of Friday morning, the former bottom dollar location on Glenwood Avenue remains vacant nearly six years after an announcement that One Health Ohio would be coming to the 18,000 square-foot property. The Youngstown Board of Control has approved the city's request to buy back One Health Ohio for $150,000.

As of Friday morning, the former bottom dollar location on Glenwood Avenue remains vacant nearly six years after an announcement that One Health Ohio would be coming to the 18,000 square-foot property. Following an approval from the Board of Control Thursday night, the City of Youngstown purchased that building back putting the wait for an answer from the company to an end.

One Health Ohio officially took possession of the building in 2018 investing half a million dollars just to get the infrastructure ready, but just as the major renovations were about to begin, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and brought rising costs that the company couldn't manage. One Health Ohio CEO, Ron Dwindles previously told 21 News that before the pandemic, the project would have costed about $4 million. That price tag has increased to between $5 and 6 million.

The company then sought ARP funds, but Youngstown Councilwoman, Anita Davis told 21 News she did not support legislation to give funding to the company stating that property could be put to good use by the city.

To read the full story from WFMJ, click here.

Youngstown’s Board of Control voted Thursday to repurchase a former Southside grocery store that was supposed to be occupied by a health clinic. It’s the former Bottom Dollar building on Glenwood Avenue. It closed as a grocery store in 2014, was bought by the city, and then sold five years ago to One Health Ohio for a health clinic.

The clinic never opened and now Youngstown has repurchased the building for $150,000 — the same amount that One Health Ohio paid to buy it. We don’t know what — if any — plans city officials have for the building.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

The city of Youngstown is reclaiming possession of the former Bottom Dollar Food store where One Health Ohio had planned to open a $4 million clinic. The city’s Board of Control approved the clawback purchase of 2649 Glenwood Ave. and related parcels from Ohio North East Health Systems Inc., which does business as One Health Ohio, for $150,000 at its meeting Thursday morning. The action come five years after the city sold the 18,000-square-foot property to the health services provider for the same amount.

“This is something I’ve been pushing for us to do for about six months now. I’m happy to see this development,” Councilwoman Anita Davis, 6th Ward, said after the meeting.

One Health Ohio operates seven comprehensive health centers in Mahoning, Trumbull and Stark counties, including at its headquarters in Youngstown. It also operates four Rise Recovery addiction treatment centers. During a news conference with Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Davis and other officials that followed the March 2018, Board of Control meeting at which the city approved the sale of the site, One Health Ohio CEO Ron Dwinnells outlined plans to spend $4 million to convert and equip the shuttered store into a health clinic. He expected to provide core services at the new clinic within a year and expand to offer additional services within two years.  The health provider “didn’t fulfill their obligations,” Davis said.

The city acquired the former grocery store site in 2015. Built on the site of the former Cleveland Elementary School and an adjacent playground, the store was one of three that Bottom Dollar Food opened in Youngstown in 2012 and which subsequently shuttered in 2014 after Aldi Inc. acquired the chain. The city solicited development proposals for the site before choosing One Health Ohio. The development agreement with One Health Ohio, dated Dec. 18, 2017, called for selling the property back to the city in the event of a “material breach” of the agreement, defined as “any violation of this agreement that results in this project not opening within the first two years of the agreement.”

When it became apparent that the project was stalled, the city moved into what Law Director Jeff Limbian characterized as “very productive and friendly conversations” with One Health Ohio about the pace of development. They determined it was in the best interests of both parties for One Health Ohio to return the South Side property to the city. “Both parties agreed that since benchmarks were not met by the dates designated in the agreement, the best recourse was for the city to activate the claw back provision,” Nikki Posterli, Brown’s chief of staff and director of the city’s community planning and economic development department, said in an email.

“There were many reasons to hope that their efforts in other places would ultimately prove successful here. The nature of city government is such that when a private entity is enthusiastic that they are going to do the right thing, that they will in fact do that,” Limbian said. “Unfortunately, the promises made were not kept, and the mayor showed them an abundance of patience. Now is the time to move on.”

Representatives of One Health Ohio did not respond to requests for comment.

City officials are in discussions regarding potential uses for the property, although both Davis and Limbian declined to offer additional details. “There are plans and things that are in the works,” Davis said. “I’m very optimistic.” Limbian said he had heard there is a plan for the property but that he was not privy to those discussions. He acknowledged the concept of working with the Western Reserve Port Authority, which has a property transfer agreement with the city and which has greater flexibility to work directly with a potential developer, but he was uncertain whether that was the direction the city would take.  “I just know that there have been discussions with just one or more entities. Where it’s going to land, I really don’t know,” he said.

The administration is in “early discussions” regarding the property, and under its memorandum of understanding it reserves the right to seek its assistance, Posterli said.

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

Among the ARP requests is $163,328 to cover half of the cost to upgrade the municipal court’s database management software to increase public access, improve case management and enhance efficiency. That legislation is sponsored by Mayor Jamael Tito Brown.

The two other requests come from Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward. City council in April 2022 voted to give $2 million in ARP funds to each of its seven members to spend in the wards. One of Davis’ proposals seeks to give $55,000 to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. to sponsor five students to attend Beyond Expectations Barber College, 2246 Glenwood Ave., to pay for their tuition.

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

When it meets next week, City Council will consider a tax abatement to support a company’s proposed $2 million investment and a $100,000 allocation to boost efforts to redevelop the former Foster Theater. Council members heard about P&L Metalcrafts LLC’s proposed expansion of its 1050 Ohio Works Drive plant last month during a May 9 meeting of its community planning and economic development committee.  Council members will consider a 10-year abatement of personal property taxes not to exceed a 10-year average of 75% on improvements made to the property, according to the ordinance proposed by Mayor Jamael Tito Brown.

The company manufacturers stairwells and railings used in commercial buildings, schools and stadiums, among other products. The enterprise zone agreement attached to the ordinance outlines P&L’s plans to spend at least $1.65 million and up to nearly $2.58 million at the project site. The proposed spending includes up to $1.5 million in improvements to its existing building and between $750,000 and nearly $1.08 million for inventory, machinery and equipment. The project is slated to begin this spring, with construction and installation to be finished by fall.

Within two years after construction is complete, P&L plans to add 14 employees, most in full-time positions, to its existing workforce of 19. The plans call for adding eight full-time and two part-time permanent jobs within the first year of completing construction, adding $387,840 to the company’s payroll by the end of the first year.  If approved by City Council, the proposed $100,000 for Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation to support its renovation of the former Foster Theater, 2504 Glenwood Ave., would be the second allocation from the city’s $82.7 million share of American Rescue Plan funds. 

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

Some Youngstown city council members say people want to know why American Rescue Plan dollars are not being spent to improve their wards. Others want Youngstown's mayor to veto projects he doesn't approve, and explain what's needed to gain approval. They believe this would be better for the community than allowing the projects to languish.

City Council approved spending $55,000  of America Rescue Plan funds for scholarships for students from the 6th Ward to attend barber college so they can sustain themselves for a lifetime. Council also voted to approve $100,000 to be given to Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation so it [c]an help leverage funds to renovate the old Foster Theater.

To read the full story from WFMJ, click here. 

Youngstown City Council approved using American Rescue Plan money to help the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation renovate the Foster Theater.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

Tempers flared as city administration officials told council members that just because they approve legislation to spend American Rescue Fund dollars, it doesn’t mean the projects in question will be funded. It’s been an ongoing issue since shortly after city council in April 2022 agreed to give each of its seven members $2 million in ARP funds on projects in their wards. Council has approved a little more than half of that $14 million total amount with fewer than half of those projects funded by the board of control, which consists of Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Law Director Jeff Limbian and Finance Director Kyle Miasek.

Brown and Limbian said Wednesday that council-approved projects must be in accordance with federal ARP guidelines and follow what residents want in the city. Too many of those projects don’t qualify because council is passing legislation without first consulting the administration as well as an ARP review committee established by the administration, Brown said. The problem had quieted down in the past few months but reared its head at Wednesday’s council meeting. That’s because Limbian said the board of control would not provide $90,000 in ARP funding approved by council Dec. 7 for the Family Empowerment Student Achievement Institute to provide tutorial services to undereducated former Youngstown school district students. That legislation was sponsored by Councilman Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward. “The board of control is not obligated to, and at times, does not spend money on a project simply because the legislative body has authorized it,” Limbian said. Hughes said the city charter gives council the job of legislating and doesn’t give it to a committee to make decisions. The ARP committee doesn’t hold public meetings.

Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, wanted Brown to veto the legislation and give council the opportunity to override that. But Brown said some council-backed ARP requests simply aren’t permitted, and he won’t do anything with them. Davis said that leaves the legislation in “la la land, in the ozone” doing nothing. Brown said the council-backed ARP requests need to be vetted by the administration, which continues not to happen. “Typically what would happen is you’d have the administration, the executive side, we make the recommendation to the legislative side,” he said. “It typically does not happen in reverse. That’s why we continually have the hiccups when you change and reverse the process with legislators putting it out first.” Hughes said under this process, “now council’s vote don’t mean anything.”

Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, said his projects meet federal guidelines and several have been stonewalled by the board of control. “We are all at the point of frustration,” he said. “The administration and city council: How do we work together?” Brown said council needs to give the proposal to the administration before it is put up for a vote to “see if it’s ready for legislation.” Davis urged citizens to put together a charter amendment for the ballot to give more authority to council. Council has the authority to place such a proposal on the ballot.

At Wednesday’s meeting, council voted to spend $318,328 in ARP funding. Among the ARP funding is $163,328 to cover half of the cost to upgrade the municipal court’s database management software to increase public access, improve case management and enhance efficiency. It was sponsored by Brown. The two other requests came from Davis. One was to give $55,000 to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. to sponsor five students to attend Beyond Expectations Barber College, 2246 Glenwood Ave., to pay for their tuition.

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

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society on Friday announced its 2023 Historic Preservation Award winners. Each year, MVHS recognizes those who work diligently to preserve historical landmarks of the community.

The 2023 Commercial Revitalization Award goes to Penguin City Brewing Co. for the preservation and remodeling of its Youngstown brewery.

The 2023 Community Revitalization Awards goes to:

• Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, for preservation and renovation of an apartment building at 3711 Glenwood Ave.

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

Penguin City Brewing Co. is the recipient of this year’s Commercial Revitalization Award for its efforts to preserve and remodel a former steel distribution warehouse into its downtown brewery, taproom and headquarters.

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society issues revitalization awards each year to recognize the people and organizations that preserve and renovate historical landmarks to show their uniqueness and importance.

This year, MVHS recognized four other projects with its Community Revitalization Award. They are:

Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation for preserving and renovating an apartment building at 3711 Glenwood Ave.

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