Downtown land could be entertainment venue, student housing

YOUNGSTOWN

On Christmas Eve, the city received a donation of 10.4 acres of former industrial land along the Mahoning River, which city officials hope will give the long-term gift of new economic development.

The site is that of the 500,000-square-foot vacant former Wean United building, which was demolished this year.

The city’s Board of Control accepted the donation Wednesday from Gearmar Properties Inc. of Portersville, Pa., which

demolished the building over a nine-month period this year and sold material from it for scrap.

“We don’t have any specific use in mind for the property, so we’re going to wait and see what type of uses may come to the table for us,” McNally said.

Among the land-reuse possibilities city officials are considering are entertainment and recreational uses, or uses related to additive manufacturing or student housing or other apartments, the mayor said.

Read more about the possibilities in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.