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Report provides strategies to increase economic development in Youngstown
YOUNGSTOWN
During the last decade, about $1.1 million has been on studies to improve the city – with most of recommendations ignored.
With that as the backdrop, Youngstown State University’s Center for Urban and Regional Studies discussed some details in a 465-page report Tuesday that officials say provides strategies to increase economic development in the city.
The plan has seven main goals:
Create an environment that encourages and supports entrepreneurial and innovative activities.
Pursue specialized training facilities to fill the workforce gap in local industries.
Create an anchor-institution consortium to develop a unified vision for economic development and neighborhood improvement initiatives.
Create pathways to promote the growth of existing businesses.
Continue to develop the city’s downtown as a district neighborhood and an economic and cultural focal point.
Increase economic development in neighborhoods.
Invest in corridor and infrastructure upgrades.
The report was not made available Tuesday to the media with a small amount of printed copies of it handed out to others at a Tuesday meeting at the Covelli Centre to unveil the plan. It should be online in a few days at psi.ysu.edu and eagyo.org.
“It’s a large plan, and it will take years to develop,” said Ronald Chordas, executive director of YSU’s Center for Urban and Regional Studies.
Obtaining money for studies – this one was paid for with a $220,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration – is a lot easier than getting funds to implement plans, he said.
But, Chordas said Tuesday, “We’re going to pursue funds aggressively.”
Michael A. Hripko, YSU’s associate vice president for research, said there are a number of federal agencies that provide funding, and the plan is to apply for grant money from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program. Funding could be available in April 2016 for various infrastructure improvements, he said.
Mayor John A. McNally, who received a copy of the report at Tuesday’s meeting, said he expects it to be a beneficial outline for ways to improve the city.
Some parts of the proposal have been discussed in recent months, including a new branding for the city that plays off the first three letters of Youngstown: “The city of YOU,” and the Downtown Vision and Action Plan that outlines proposals for parking management, landscaping improvements, and infrastructure upgrades.