Side streets

[kitten44505]

The North side of the street between Phelps and Hazel has empty space for develpoment. As for the parking lot, when the new parking deck is built at the old Masters site, this lot would be rendered redundit.

Most of, if not all of the cars in that particular lot are owned by folks who work downtown so with the new deck they would have indoor parking.

My point is that we have to have some vision toward the future, and by limiting our focus to one street to the exclusion of the others, we have made the same mistake that the city has made over and over again since 1900.

As everyone knows, the amount of space that is available will be greatly reduced once the new Ohio Court of Appeals Courthouse is built, and the Mayor is talking about building a new City Court House.

When asked about relocating the Municipal Court in the City Annex, the Mayor said that it was looked at, but is not adequately large enough, and there would be security problems. There is only one Court Room there that was the former U. S. District Court, and the office that housed the U. S. Marshall had only one or two holding cells.

If you can locate a copy of "The Mavrick", a little newspaper that Frank R. Franko published when he was running for Mayor (The Library might have a copy.) he had a map of his vision for a new downtown.

[jay]

A view of W. Front Street looking west.

[kitten44505]

In looking through a 1950 City Directory, and Sanbourne Maps going back to 1900, these streets were loaded with  small businesses. (Hazel, Phelps streets).

A friend of mine wanted to upgrade his business there, but ran into problems with the city. No co-opertion.

Again, where is the vision on the part of the city?

I would truely like to see a map of downtown Youngstown's plans published in the paper that shows just what they want to accomplish in detail.

[John R. Swierz]

Talk about side streets, check out Phelps, Hazel and other N/S streets. I have mentioned this to at least 2 council members.


  JRS

[kitten44505]

Jay, I think you meant Trinity Methodist Church. Holy Trinity is on West Rayen.

As to the side streets, if the city could tear out the totality of the East End, minus three or four buildings, there is no reason why the city can't make better use of the side streets.

In my vast library, I have an article going back to 1903 in which The Vindicator warned that by focusing solely on Federal Street for retail/entertainment businesses was a grave mistake. They continued that unless the Central business district was expanded, the city would live to refret it.

My hometown population 8000 has a downtown area four blocks East-West 5 blocks North-South, and a branch campus of Penn State University, a working movie theater and a theater that books live stage shows, a department store, and dozens of small businesses that are surviving in spite of a regional mall just outside of town.

What has been missing here on the part of our city fathers low these many decades is a lack of vision, the same lack of vision that kept Youngstown from diversifying it's industries.

[jay]

West Front Street is the street of parking lots.  The only buildings facing it are the City Hall Annex, Trinity Methodist Church, St. Vincent Soup Kitchen, and the Davis Building.

West Commerce Street has mostly the backs of buildings and more parking lots.  The old Erie Terminal and the Cedars Cafe are the two occupied buildings that face Commerce Street.

Other than the Oakland Center for the Arts, West Boardman doesn't have any buildings that attract the public.

Because of our love affair with the automobile, these streets will remain the location of parking lots for the activities on Federal Plaza West.  I don't like this fact but I can't see it ever changing soon.

[kitten44505]

I am amazed at how so many people are ignoring what the city has stated concerning Federal Street redevelopment, while completely ignoring West Commerce; West Boardman and West Front Streets.

Instead of dreaming about restoring buildings that are on the short list for demolition, let's hear some viable ideas about how we can bring life to these side streets.

Our forefathers made a grave mistake by concentrating all their attention to Federal Street which severely limited downtown expansion. Let's not make the same mistake again.