SOUTH SIDE Forum focuses on neighborhood's future

A need for places to shop and removal of eyesores were two concerns.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Lana Mitchell-Wells has a few practical ideas for maintaining her South Side neighborhood.
The main ones are upkeep and accountability.
"If you own something, take care of it; if you rent, take care of it," she said. "If you see a McDonald's wrapper on the ground, pick it up. You're a product of your environment."
Mitchell-Wells has lived in her home at 824 W. Woodland Ave. since 1945, and she remembers the area as being vibrant and safe. A strong sense of community prevailed in the neighborhood, she recalled.
"We played together; we ate together ... and we went to school together," she said.
Meeting details
Mitchell-Wells was one of about 50 South Side residents who attended Saturday's neighborhood design and planning meeting that focused on ways to revitalize the lower Oak Hill Avenue section of Youngstown's South Side.
The session, at Oakhill Renaissance Place, 345 Oak Hill Ave., brought together Youngstown 2010 officials and members of Kent State University's Urban Design Center to outline strategies for improving neighborhoods, attracting businesses and residents, and making the city cleaner and greener.
Mitchell-Wells added that she wants to see stiffer penalties for career criminals and more thorough background checks performed on potential renters.
The 21/2-hour meeting centered on a 290-acre, mainly residential section bordered by Interstate 680, Mill Creek Park, Falls Avenue and Market Street. Before the meeting, the 16 students from KSU's architectural department participating in the study were taken on an hour-long bus tour of the neighborhoods.
Also at the meeting were members of Hope for Youngstown, the South Side Community Development Corp. and Community Housing Involving Cooperative Efforts, or CHOICE.
Anthony Kobak, chief planner for the Youngstown Planning Department, told the audience that Youngstown needs to accept itself as a "shrinking city," meaning a decrease in its population and tax base, and work within that framework. About 60 percent of the land in the lower Oak Hill area is vacant, he pointed out.
Renewal opportunities
Nevertheless, he said, such a high vacancy "offers challenges but opportunities." Some assets of the neighborhood are its proximity to the park, downtown Youngstown and I-680, Kobak said, adding that most residents care about their neighborhoods and are committed to making positive changes.
One area of growth has been in Oakhill Renaissance Center, explained Janet Yaniglos, a South Side CDC board member. The 300,000-square-foot building, site of the former Forum Health Southside Medical Center, is 40 percent occupied.
"We want this center to participate in neighborhood development and revitalization," Yaniglos said.
Arnie Clebone, a consultant with CHOICE, noted that 75 homes have been built on the South Side with the help of that agency and Jubilee Urban Renewal, with about $10 million being invested in the area. The two agencies, as well as Hope for Youngstown, also are spearheading an effort to revitalize a 15-acre parcel in the lower Oak Hill area, he said.
The Rev. Jay Alford, president of Jubilee and Hope for Youngstown, said both agencies also have been responsible for seeing about $66 million worth of new and rehabilitated housing throughout the city, including the 75 new South Side homes. Much of that money has come from the federal Low Income Tax Credit program, set up to address the needs of, and invest in, declining areas, the Rev. Mr. Alford said.
Search for solutions
During the meeting, the audience broke into groups to discuss issues of importance to them as well as to brainstorm for solutions to various problems in their neighborhoods.
Some suggestions included buying adjacent properties for family members or relatives, or for green space; developing a senior living center for older residents in need of such services but who want to stay in their neighborhood; razing dilapidated structures; and tightening penalties for those who dump trash on vacant properties.
Others brought up a need for a more visible police presence, as well as repairing broken catch basins and curbs and providing incentives to keep young people in the area.
Terry Schwarz, the Urban Design Center's senior planner, gave a slide presentation depicting possible long-term land uses in the corridor. They included turning some vacant lots into an urban forest and adding wetlands for cleaner air.
Schwarz said KSU wants to work with local officials and residents to come up with plans based on their input. "We're not here to tell you what to do," Schwarz added.
Frank Popper, a professor of land-use planning at Rutgers University, noted that many planning models developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries assumed large growth in most cities and other areas. Over the past 100 years, however, many cities and other parts of the country have experienced declining populations.
He also praised Youngstown officials "for taking on this task" of dealing with a declining population and trying to come up with viable options within that scale.
"I've never heard of a community doing this," he said.
A free open meeting to present findings and results from the weekend sessions is slated for 7 to 9 p.m. Monday in the Renaissance Center's conference room.