Revitalizing neighborhoods is YNDC competition’s goal

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. is launching a citywide vacant-land-reuse competition.

It’s called Lots of Green 2.0: A Call for Innovation.

The goal of the competition is to encourage innovative vacant land reuse projects and empower neighborhood groups in the city to participate in their neighborhoods’ revitalization.

With a citywide inventory of approximately 24,000 vacant parcels, applicants are encouraged to propose solutions that will catalyze other neighborhood revitalization activities and/or offer innovative ideas that could be replicated at a large scale.

All grass-roots or community organizations within the city are eligible to apply.

A review committee of neighborhood and community leaders will assist the YNDC in selecting projects based on their innovation and impact to support with financial and technical resources.

Project awards will range from $500 to $10,000. Applications will be accepted until Sept. 30 at 5 p.m.

“This initiative will provide neighborhood groups and grass-roots leaders with the financial and technical resources to transform formerly blighted, vacant lots into neighborhood assets,” said Presley L. Gillespie, YNDC executive director.

YNDC is a neighborhood development organization in the city.

As part of the application process, a representative from each group applying must attend one of the four training workshops that will be at local public library branches in mid- to late August.

Attendees are strongly encouraged to RSVP for the workshop chosen by email at innovation@yndc.org.

For specific information on the workshop dates and a project application, visit the organization’s website at yndc.org, call 330-480-0423 or by email at innovation@yndc.org.