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Comprehensive vision, action plan unveiled for downtown Youngstown
Downtown Vision and Action Plan
Document
The Downtown Vision and Action Plan aims for an accessible and equitable urban core that anchors the revitalization of the larger metropolitan economy by converging the efforts and resources of the key actors and assets within the center city.
YOUNGSTOWN
Downtown’s vision of its future has become more clear.
The Youngstown Economic Action Group unveiled the Downtown Visioning and Tactical Implementation Plan on Tuesday at the Youngstown Business Incubator, 241 W. Federal St.
This is the first comprehensive plan for the downtown, said Dominic C. Marchionda, city and Youngstown State University planning coordinator.
“That’s what we need,” said Bill D’Avignon, the city’s Community Development Agency director.
The 150-page plan provides a framework to align the efforts and resources of stakeholders such as business owners, residents and community organizations to improve downtown from 2015 to 2020 and beyond. It also contains specific recommendations and goals that are accomplished through eight initiatives, 25 objectives and more than 100 action steps, which focus on areas such as tourism, landscape, parking and infrastructure.
“We made it accessible and digestible as possible,” Marchionda said.
The plan’s development goes back to its early stages with the EAG’s first meeting in late 2013. It meets on a monthly basis to discuss priority issues, initiatives and action strategies within downtown. The EAG started collaborating with a steering committee, which initially was formed to apply for a grant from the Department of Transportation, said Sara Wenger, community development program manager of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, and a committee member.
“A plan is critical for applying for state and federal funding. It’s something that has been lacking,” she said.
Since September, the plan took shape from more than 50 stakeholders interviewed, 20 surveys conducted and five steering-committee meetings, which were attended by the city of Youngstown, Western Reserve Port Authority, Western Reserve Transit Authority, Eastgate and YSU. The committee also looked at other previous downtown plans that focused on specific areas.
“We liked the idea of it [the downtown plan] not being owned by a single entity in order to build relationships and alleviate pressure from the city,” Wenger said. “We have a game plan for coordination between public, private and nonprofit groups.”
EAG meetings will devote an hour to work sessions starting with the April 21 meeting.
An advisory council made up of five designees will be created to oversee the meetings and the plan’s implementation.
“The real work begins now,” Marchionda said.