Downtown Growth

[iwasthere]

no sabtoge just pointing out that you are alike the artists looking for private investors to bring monies into your cofers aka mc, rust belt artists ans art ytown. rr you are p.o. because i have called you out on your endeavors. i would like the irs to invest your income. you must be loaded with cold cash to finance your museams because you do not believe in picking people's pockets. isn't that correct? why were you at the butler last Springtime when a group of artists gathered together to create a coalition for empowerment to seek grt monies from the gov? i am not the only one that knows you are for yourself. i just called you out on your selfserving attitude on this blog.

[Towntalk]

As the downtown becomes more gentrified, we will see more diversity in businesses coming downtown that have absolutely nothing to do with the arts, maby not the high end retail stores that we see in Boardman and Liberty, but still important to a vibrant business district. And stores that don't look like second hand flee markets, but show the kind of class that invites folks with money.

The arts as Rick and others have stated do not draw in retail stores, for if they did, there would be many and varied stores downtown now, and this is an indisputable fact.

The fact that rent for spaces downtown is going up means that the landlords are going to have to spruce up those spaces in order to draw new businesses, because businesses are not going to pay high rent for spaces that look like stores on skid row. They are going to have to be bright, clean, up to date, and welcoming.

Once we can see the downtown as a place to shop for a wide variety of goods and services, then and only then can the city see an increase in the revenue that it gets.

[Rick Rowlands]

Perhaps my attitude is a response to the non support for the past 16 years of giving to Youngstown.  If I remember correctly you tried to sabotage my project on at least one occasion, so your opinion means less to me than the cobwebs under my desk.

I am building a facility that will be an asset to the community long after I am dead and gone.  I did it without a penny of governmental aid, and without the help of any of the Youngstown "artists".  Just one college dropout with a vision and the stubborn resolve to make a positive change in the community.   We will continue to grow and will become one of the shining stars of Youngstown. 

At any point up until about 7 years ago those artists could have purchased any one of those West Federal Street buildings for a song and built for themselves a place all their own.  They chose not to do that and instead be content with renting space.  You do not control what you do not own, so now they are crying the blues for not taking action to secure their future when they could.   Downtown Youngstown is gentrifying and that is a good thing.  We need wealth back in downtown again, and for that wealth to permeate out to all corners of the city.   

[iwasthere]

rr with that last comment do you ever wonder ? some bloggers on this board do not support you on any of your adventures?

[Towntalk]

They can all relocate to the Uptown area along Market Street. Rent there should be just right for them.   

[Rick Rowlands]

So basically people with no money are being replaced by people with money.  That is a great problem to have! Artists create little of value, have no resources and will not employ people.  Now that the free ride is over they are complaining that they are being pushed out.  Oh well.

[Towntalk]

With the addition of places like V2, along with the potential for development of new apartment buildings and maybe even a hotel downtown, is Youngstown in danger of losing some of its heritage?

For more than a decade, artist Bob Barko lived in downtown Youngstown and operated his Steel Town Studios in one of the historical buildings there.

"People looked at us like we were absolutely crazy. They said 'you moved where? And why?' And now downtown's the place to be," Barko said.

Although he now lives in the suburbs, Barko has noticed the growth and development that's been taking place the past few years and said he generally likes what he's seeing.

"When I moved down here, there was storefront after storefront of empty buildings. And you know, now you're starting to look and you're saying 'what's left and what can we do with what's left?'," Barko said.

Officials said currently, work is being done to renovate a number of the downtown's historical venues, including the old Two Guys clothing store and the Wick Building on Federal Street, as well as the old Stambaugh Building on Central Square.

But some are concerned the people who used to live and work in the old buildings are now being forced to leave, erasing at least some of the downtown's image as a center for arts and culture in the area.

Others say the downtown needs to strike a balance between the desire for new development and preserving the area's past.

"I think it's great when an empty building has a vibrant storefront in it. What worries me is those storefront of people who are engrained in what this community really is, that those faces starting to go," said Jacob Harver, owner of The Lemon Grove Cafe. "I'm all for development. I'm all for empty buildings becoming full of businesses, but I'm really worried about when the people who made this community what it is start to be pushed out."

Harver said he fears changes coming to the old Cedar's Lounge on North Hazel Street, which reportedly is to become an upscale hamburger restaurant and apartment building, and other spots will erase the downtown's image over the past 25 years as a center for arts and culture in the area.

He said for years artists lived and worked downtown when no one else wanted to.

"As soon as it starts to take off, you know, you get the people coming back in from the suburbs. That's what gentrification is all about," Harver said.

However, city officials said developers are looking to take over the old Pig Iron Press downtown, both to save that part of the city's history while expanding their own local business.

"We have to be able to support those businesses that are here and we also have to have an understanding that downtown Youngstown is beginning to grow again," said Phil Kidd, founder of the Defend Youngstown movement and owner of the Youngstown Nation store.

[Towntalk]

This may come as a shock, Jay, but I agree with you on this.

So far as the North Side is concerned, the Belmont Avenue corradore should be looked at for more retail development.

The area below Belmont is high end residential and should remain that way, but Belmont would be ideal for more retail trade.

Being a historical district, Fifth Avenue is out of the question for retail development beyond Park Avenue.

As for Elm Street, since it is a main entrance to YSU, while there are a large number of empty lots, it could stand a few retail businesses between the freeway and Park Avenue, but not beyond that.

As to Logan Avenue, here again would be a candidate for retail development since most of it was commercial for as long as I can remember.

[jay]

Now that the downtown is booming, it is time to focus some of our efforts on the business corridors on each side of town.

[irishbobcat]

Happy to see this....even though it is mainly food and drink establishments....I rather eat downtown than fighting all the traffic on 224 to chow down...

[Towntalk]

 
More businesses investing in the downtown


http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/dec/09/as-downtown-develops-costs-of-business-i/