43
Youngstown council will consider a zone change Wednesday to a 21-acre site on the East Side
YOUNGSTOWN
City council will consider legislation Wednesday to change the zoning of a 21-acre location on the East Side from residential to industrial green.
Despite the objections of some area residents to the zone change, Mayor John A. McNally said he expects council to approve it.
“We’ve purchased a few properties and will purchase more to assemble that land and make it shovel ready and be able to move forward if and when a project or projects are developed,” he said.
Businesses would include light manufacturing, distribution centers, warehouse and storage facilities, said Bill D’Avignon, the city’s Community Development Agency director.
The location is between Oak Street, Himrod Avenue, Fruit Street and the Madison Avenue Expressway.
Also on council’s agenda is an ordinance to grant a 100-percent, 15-year real-property tax abatement to the NYO Property Group for its project to convert the Stambaugh Building at 44 E. Federal St. into a 134-room DoubleTree by Hilton hotel.
T. Sharon Woodberry, the city’s director of community planning and economic development department, said, however, the matter would be tabled if the board of education doesn’t first approve the tax abatement.
The school board doesn’t have any plans to meet before city council’s meeting.
Any tax abatements for more than 75 percent and 10 years need to be approved by the school board, she said.
Though Woodberry said Monday the school board is “willing to consider that level of abatement,” its members need to vote on it.
The full tax abatement would save $4,592,751 over a 15-year period – $305,183 annually.
If the school board doesn’t take action, or rejects the full abatement by Oct. 5 – the date of the next council meeting after Wednesday – council will vote on a 75-percent, 10-year tax abatement for the hotel project, Woodberry said.
An abatement of that percentage and time would save $2,288,872 for NYO. That’s less than half of what the company would save under the full abatement.
Council also will consider ordinances that would make one part-time job in its code enforcement and blight remediation department full time and take a full-time job in the department and make it part time. The changes are needed because of different demands in the department, said Abigail Beniston, its superintendent.
A part-time account clerk position for the landlord-registration program making $24,461 would be full time with an annual salary of $33,280. A full-time assistant chief enforcement officer with an annual salary range of $48,235 to $57,881, based on years on the job, would become part time under a proposal making $21,351 in annual salary.
Also on the agenda is a request to give up to $12,000 in water and wastewater grants to Noble Creature Cask House LLC, which is planning to spend about $123,000 to convert a former church at 126 E. Rayen Ave., into a brewery and taproom.