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Oak Hill Collaborative announces sale of former Anthony’s On the River
YOUNGSTOWN
Plans are in the works to redevelop a property on Oak Hill Avenue that has long sat vacant.
A consortium of unidentified investors – some local, others from across the region and country – have purchased the former Anthony’s On the River, located along the Mahoning River at 15 Oak Hill Ave.
The property includes about 800 feet on the waterfront, according to the Oak Hill Collaborative, which announced the news Wednesday.
According to the Mahoning County auditor’s website, the total property value is $160,980.
“Buying the property was just the very first step. We have plans to do a lot more development there, including putting up more buildings and even putting up some residential space, as well,” said Patrick Kerrigan, executive director of the Oak Hill Collaborative, a South Side-based nonprofit dedicated to community revitalization along the Oak Hill corridor.
Kerrigan said the consortium is interested in developing the property into a mixed-use space. For example, the existing structure could be used as a restaurant on the first floor and an office on the second floor, Kerrigan said.
The group also is interested in developing the riverfront.
“We’re interested in developing the river for recreational use – boat docks and bicycle paths, walking trails, things like that,” he said. “We’re also discussing it with the B&O Station,” which is located on the other side of the Mahoning Avenue bridge.
Oak Hill Collaborative also announced the property is being offered up as a possible site for the Welsh Congregational Church, which Youngstown CityScape has proposed moving from its current location on Elm Street. The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown had enlisted the help of CityScape to help save the historic church, which is the city’s oldest standing church. Plans to move the church were temporarily put on hold a few months ago, amid some opposition to the idea.
“We’ve offered the property to the church, to the diocese or CityScape,” Kerrigan said. “We’re just saying it’s here as a possible site, and we’d be willing to have that on our property.
Oak Hill Collaborative is involved as a spokesman for the project.
“The Oak Hill Collaborative is dedicated to improving the quality of life and the conditions in the neighborhood along Oak Hill Avenue,” Kerrigan said. The property “is an undeveloped jewel of the neighborhood – so whoever gets involved, we want to help them however we can.”