Diversity of 7th Ward revealed at neighborhood meeting

YOUNGSTOWN

Many people who are familiar with the neighborhoods that make up the city’s 7th Ward likely will tell you that one defining feature is diverse demographics — in everything from population trends to home vacancies.

Such diversity was one of the themes running through Thursday’s Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. meeting at Faith Community Covenant Church, 1919 E. Midlothian Blvd., on the South Side.

About 60 elected officials and residents attended the seventh of nine such sessions throughout the city to gather people’s priorities, feedback and concerns regarding what they feel is needed to attain greater neighborhood stabilization in the city.

Their input will be used to develop detailed strategies and neighborhood plans against a backdrop of limited financial resources, noted Thomas A. Hetrick, a YNDC neighborhood planner.

Several trends vary widely in the 7th Ward’s neighborhoods, which are Lansingville, Powerstown and Buckeye Plat, Brownlee Woods, Boulevard Park and Cottage Grove, Hetrick explained. He also noted that the area’s assets include a large number of parks, places of worship and businesses, especially along Midlothian Boulevard and Youngstown-Poland Road.

For example, calls to police were significantly higher in the ward’s western section than in the eastern portion. Also, population loss varied considerably in the area, he continued.

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