Thursday, May 18, 2006
Youngstown has assets to build upon, a housing institute director says.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- For cities such as Youngstown to continue to rebound, an intrinsically linked, two-prong approach needs to be assured: rebuilding real estate markets and restoring city neighborhoods.
"Some strategies have acted as if the market is not central in bringing cities back. I'd argue it's central; in fact, it's critical," Alan Mallach, research director of the National Housing Institute in Montclair, N.J., said at Wednesday's "Neighborhood Reinvestment How To's" program at the Butler Institute of American Art on Wick Avenue
The workshop, "Reversing Decline: Goals for Neighborhood Investment in Weak Market Cities," was the first of five sessions coordinated by Wick Neighbors Inc. and Youngstown 2010, and was designed to provide solutions for rebuilding the city's neighborhoods.
The five programs will bring in people interested in the city's redevelopment as well as national experts, organizers have said.
Difficulty adapting
In the early 20th century, Youngstown had a thriving market that relied largely on heavy industry. In some ways, however, Youngstown was unable to adapt over the years as economic conditions changed. Quality of life began to deteriorate and a downward spiral took place, Mallach said.
As the market weakened, Mallach continued, those who could afford to leave did so, investment dried up, and housing values and services declined.
Now, about 16 percent of the houses in the city are vacant and since 1970, roughly 35 percent of homeowners have been lost while much of the rest of Mahoning County has experienced growth, Mallach noted.
Nevertheless, the city has many assets to build on, such as Mill Creek Park and Youngstown State University to name a few. To build on its growth and strengths, Youngstown needs to use resources strategically and build on the market and quality of neighborhoods, Mallach continued.
To revitalize neighborhoods, it's important to use land bank strategies to gain control of vacant properties and use resources to impact the entire neighborhood instead of having scattered development, he noted.
Key strategies
Other key strategies, Mallach added, include modernizing ordinances and codes; getting vacant houses into the hands of homeowners; identifying and building on assets; and partnering with various financial and other institutions.
Mallach cited Yale University in New Haven, Conn., as an example of a partnership, saying the university provided financial incentives for people to live in troubled neighborhoods near campus. Most stayed, and over time, the quality of life in those areas improved, he added.
"People want what a city like Youngstown has to offer," Mallach said. "Act on the basis that Youngstown has a glorious future."
It's also vital for a struggling and rebuilding city to have a certain amount of mixed-income housing, noted Alex Staneff, Key Bank's vice president of community development lending for Northern Ohio and Michigan. Staneff spoke on what goes into a quality neighborhood and the value of changing negative mindsets.
"Every resident in a neighborhood needs to be an ambassador to sell that neighborhood," he said.
Staneff pointed out that good quality of life in an area tends to feed on itself. It leads to a higher tax base, which can create better amenities and thus a better way of life.
The second workshop, "Vacant Properties: Neighborhood Liability or Asset?" is set for 7 to 9 p.m. June 14 at the Butler Institute.