Neighborhoods

A short street on Youngstown’s South Side is in the process of being redeveloped with new housing. On Mineral Springs Avenue — which is across from the Youngstown Playhouse off of Glenwood Avenue — six new houses will be built.  So far, three of the basements have been dug with one of the foundations in place. It’s a joint project between the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and the Mahoning County Land Bank.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here.

Thursday, November 14, 2024

On Wednesday, November 13, YNDC finalized its sale of 135 S. Osborn Avenue for $80,000. Congratulations to the new homeowner, and thank you for your investment in Youngstown’s neighborhoods!

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

On Tuesday, November 19, YNDC completed the installation of a section of sidewalk along Rutledge Drive and Maranatha Drive that connects the majority of the neighborhood to Lincoln Knolls Community Park. This was an important missing gap in the sidewalk network. This connection allows neighbors to walk along the sidewalk to the park. In addition to the new sidewalk install, YNDC cleared a significant stretch of existing sidewalk on Rutledge Drive that was wildly overgrown and impassable. This work was made possible through the support of Second Ward Councilman Jimmy Hughes and the Lincoln Knolls Community Watch. 

The Mahoning County Land Bank and Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation plan to break ground Thursday on the construction of six new single-family homes on Youngstown’s Southside.

To read the full story from WFMJ click here.

The Mahoning County Land Bank, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and other partners on Thursday broke ground on six new houses planned for the city’s Idora neighborhood.

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

Thursday, November 21, 2024

On November 21, 2024, the Mahoning County Land Bank, YNDC, other project partners, and supporters celebrated the groundbreaking of six new single family homes on Mineral Springs Avenue.

The six new homes will be 1,475 square feet each with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, an open concept living, kitchen, and dining area, first floor laundry room, front porch, and two-car detached garage. The homes will be listed for sale for no more than $180,000 and will include a 100 percent, fifteen year property tax abatement on the new construction. Down payment assistance will also be available for eligible homebuyers through the City of Youngstown’s At Home in Youngstown down payment assistance program.

The project is made possible by a grant award to the Mahoning County Land Bank from the Ohio Department of Development’s Welcome Home Ohio grant program. Farmers National Bank is providing construction financing for the project. The vacant lots were assembled by the Mahoning County Land Bank and YNDC over the past ten years. The builder for the project is Joe Koch Construction. The project also has support from the City of Youngstown, The Raymond John Wean Foundation, and the Glenwood Neighbors Business Association.

This project is the culmination of years of hard work on Mineral Springs Avenue beginning with neighbors organizing to eliminate blight on the street in 2008; the assembly of the abandoned vacant lots by the Mahoning County Land Bank, and City of Youngstown; the demolition of Gina's corner store by the City of Youngstown; the greening and tree planting along vacant lots; the acquisition and renovation of 1945 Glenwood Avenue by YNDC; and the construction of two new homes on Mineral Springs Avenue in 2021.

Thursday, November 21, 2024

On November 21, 2024, YNDC was awarded 3 grants totaling $2,541,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati's Affordable Housing Program.

YNDC partnered with Premier Bank on two of the applications. One application was awarded $1,500,000 and will support home repair to 150 units of housing. Our second application submitted through Premier Bank was awarded $336,000 and will support the construction of six new rental units.

YNDC also partnered with Huntington Bank on one application that was awarded $705,000 and will support down payment assistance of up to $18,000 per unit to 30 homeowners in the Mahoning Valley.

More details will be provided on all projects in the months to come. Many thanks to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, Premier Bank and Huntington National Bank!

New homes are tough to come by in Youngstown. In fact, outside of the main center downtown, there have been only 20 units built in the last 15 years. That is changing, however, with a new project to bring homes to the city.  Thursday, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held for six new homes being built on Mineral Springs Avenue.  “The more we build, the more community we build, and the quicker we can realize Youngstown coming back as a community that cares about each other,” said Councilman Julius Oliver.  Construction has already started on the homes. They will be three bedrooms with two and a half baths, plus a two-car garage.  “When you buy a home here, you’re not just buying a house, you’re also buying into what’s happening in this neighborhood,” said YNDC Executive Director Ian Beniston.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here.

Six new homes will line Mineral Springs Avenue, a one-block street that runs east to west and perpendicular to Glenwood Avenue and Volney Road near Mill Creek Park.  Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. constructed two new houses along the street several years ago, and Ian Beniston, executive director, says the effort is a continuation of that program. “These six homes will be sold to homeowners,” he said, not to those seeking rentals.

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

In a matter of months, several new homes will fill a small street on the South Side. The move promises to also build greater community cohesion, collaboration and connectivity, a city official says.  “We’re able to rebuild, to bring community back to the city,” Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, said. “It’s a great day.”

He was referring to six new single-family dwellings that are being constructed on Mineral Springs Avenue, once the site of blight and vacant structures — and symbolic of the city’s decline.  Oliver also was among those who spoke during a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning to celebrate the project, which is a collaborative effort between the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, the Mahoning County Land Bank and other partners. The work was made possible via a grant from the Ohio Department of Development’s Welcome Home Ohio program.

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