Trustees want an identity for area

A neighborhood plan would focus on an area near the center of North Lima.
By VIRGINIA ROSS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NORTH LIMA -- Beaver Township trustees and members of an area merchants' group agreed the township needs to step "outside the box" and move toward establishing an identity, specifically for the township's North Lima area.
Township officials met with members of the South Range Merchants Association on Tuesday to discuss proposed plans for the development of a neighborhood plan for North Lima.
"We need to get more creative, and we need to move a little faster," said Ted Lyda, who was elected a township trustee earlier this month. "I think there are things that should be priority and this is one of them."
Michele L. Swope, township zoning inspector, said the township has been looking at the possibility of developing a neighborhood plan for its North Lima area for the past few years. She said the neighborhood plan could complement the township's new comprehensive land-use plan.
She said the purpose of a neighborhood plan is to take a specific area of a community, rather than the community at large, and focus on ways to improve that area.
Neighborhood planning
At a special meeting in June, township officials and a handful of residents met with Walter Van Scoter of Strollo Architects, a Youngstown architectural company, to discuss what the North Lima area could become with some neighborhood planning.
Swope said area residents have said they miss the "village feel" North Lima used to have. "We're hoping to define the area of North Lima, studying that area and looking at how we can make it better," Swope added.
The township is looking to develop a neighborhood plan that would focus on an area about a one-mile radius from the center of North Lima, which is marked by the Market Street and South Avenue intersection.
Trustee Kim Ohlin said the next step might be to determine whether the township would be willing to pay a company to develop the neighborhood plan.
Previously, Van Scoter said he could not put a cost on the proposed project, but said services provided by his company could range from $10,000 to $20,000. He had suggested the township adopt a theme, or identity, for North Lima and build on that concept.
Other topics discussed at the meeting included possible beautification efforts and zoning changes to accommodate new businesses and promote commercial growth.
Officials also addressed providing merchants and area residents with financial incentives for their beautification efforts. The purpose of the incentives would be to encourage consistency with the neighborhood theme.
Swope said the township would look into pursuing various grants, especially for streetscaping and building renovation projects. She suggested working with the nonprofit merchants' association to pursue funding opportunities.
"I think it's in everyone's best interest for all of us, the township, the merchants, the residents, to work together to make this happen," Swope said. "We can make North Lima a place people want to be."