A downtown Youngstown property agency is looking for someone to develop a vacant parcel

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A downtown property agency is seeking an interested party to buy its one remaining undeveloped piece of land – a fenced-in hole on West Federal Street.

The hole is the former site of the Armed Forces Building and the State Theatre, both demolished in 2008. All that stands is the facade of the latter building.

The Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp. is seeking a developer to construct a building at the location on West Federal Street.

The hole is just west of the Wells Building, which was rehabilitated by Strollo Architects for $5.3 million and opened in January.

“We’re talking ideas with some people, but there’s nothing concrete,” said Dave Kosec, the CIC’s project manager, after the agency’s Tuesday meeting. “We want something that has a chance to be a viable project.”

The CIC had talked years ago about turning that location into a parking lot.

But Kosec said the focus is “to have a structure there. With Wells occupied, it reinforces the opportunity to redevelop that property.”

However, Wells was a structure – unoccupied – while a developer wanting to use the CIC-owned location next door would have to construct a building.