‘Blight to Light’ to revive South Ave.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The South Avenue Area Neighborhood Development Initiative (SAANDI) has launched a “Blight to Light” initiative it hopes to have in place later this spring.

Block watches, churches, schools, real-estate investors and other local businesses will work to revitalize neighborhoods along the South Avenue corridor.

Those groups along with social-service agencies will join in the development of a strategic plan that will be presented to the neighborhood activists and the community for review.

The purpose of the meeting is to form committees to develop specific action plans and to determine how to turn the tasks into action. The meting will be at 5 p.m. Thursday at Metro Ministries Church of God, 2530 South Ave.

SAANDI encompasses the streets from East Avondale to Interstate 680 along the South Avenue Corridor. The block watches working in partnership are the South Avenue, Gibson Heights, Lansingville and Taft School.

SAANDI’s mission is to reclaim a designated area along the South Avenue corridor and to create sustainable neighborhoods that offer a healthy and higher quality of life, with sustainable local businesses and job creation through the collaboration of agencies, organizations and residents. The churches, schools, businesses and block watches in addition to real-estate investors joined together to revitalize 27 streets along the South Avenue Corridor.

SAANDI was established supporting the concept of the Youngstown 2010 plan. The initiative was formed in July 2009 by a collaboration of individuals from the block watches, real-estate investors and the city.