YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – With demolition of the Realty Tower nearly complete, city officials are working on a plan to re-establish downtown as a destination.

“We continue to repair our downtown infrastructure,” Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said at a news conference at the Covelli Centre on Monday. “Some of our streets are currently open – but many are not. We will continue to work to ensure traffic flow in the future.”

To move the Commerce Street project forward, tender documents have been sent out, he said.

“Market and federal government – ​​we have issued tender documents so that we can restore the road as soon as the construction site is cleared,” said the mayor.

The city knows the project must be done. The legal department will later decide who should reimburse the city for the work, Brown said.

“We want to free up traffic flow in the city center and will do so when the opportunity arises,” he said.

Work on Boardman Street is progressing rapidly, he added.

“We want to make sure that all of Commerce, Boardman, Market Street and Federal – we want to eventually reach East Federal,” Brown said. “So you’re going to see legislation that we’re pushing to get those things going in the near future.”

A gas explosion on May 28 in the Realty Tower killed one man, Akil Drake, injured several others and left residents of the building homeless. The International Towers, located next to Realty, were also evacuated because there were fears that Realty might collapse.

The Mahoning County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that blunt force trauma was the cause of death for Drake, who was an employee of Chase Bank on the ground floor of Realty. His family is suing the building’s owner, property manager and gas company. Residents of Realty and International Towers have also filed suit over the explosion.

The city is working with the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber to promote economic recovery downtown, the mayor said.

“We believe this is an opportunity for all of us to come to an agreement and speak with one voice,” he said.

Brown also acknowledged the need to rebuild relationships with downtown businesses and let people know that downtown is open to customers who want to use the businesses for lunch, nightlife and events.

Julius Oliver, councillor of the first district, whose district also includes the inner city, thanked all charitable and social institutions that have supported the residents of the inner city since the explosion.

“It was at this point that the mayor and I were able to come together, share our visions and align our ideas on how to redevelop downtown Youngstown,” he said.

They want people to relive nostalgic moments when they think about downtown and that it is a place to have a good time.

“We want to reinvent downtown and bring it back to that era,” he said. “We want everyone to come here with their friends and family and enjoy everything from Oh Wow to the Covelli Centre to the amphitheater to the Federal Restaurant. We want to open downtown to you and make sure downtown is open.”

Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Regional Chamber, said his organization, like many others, is committed to the downtown area.

“We have assembled a group of business leaders to help us make decisions for the future,” he said.

And they don’t look back at events like Covid, construction or building demolition, Coviello said.

“We’re focused on a downtown that’s opening up for business,” he said. “We’ll probably be announcing a number of events here soon that will draw people downtown and bring people in from outside to support our retail businesses.”

Earlier this month, city officials announced a downtown redesign that is expected to take place in October as a prelude to the plans. Those plans include the possible creation of a designated outdoor refreshment area. The city also received three proposals in response to a request for proposals for the strategic planning and marketing of the downtown area.

In the long term, the chamber is monitoring the economic development of the city center and wants to take advantage of the existing momentum, said Coviello.

He pointed to Steelite International, which moved its headquarters downtown, the first company to do so in 68 years, and Zoetic Global, which is opening a factory there. He believes these companies are role models for other companies that locate there.

And soon the chamber will announce international trade missions to downtown, Coviello said, as she looks at how they fit into the housing strategy for the Mahoning Valley and the chamber’s labor market strategy.

“I think we’re at a turning point,” he said, thanking the United Way of Youngstown and Mahoning Valley, which led efforts to help people left homeless by the explosion. “I want to assure you that the Chamber of Commerce is here to help businesses.”

Bob Hannon, president of United Way, pointed to the other organizations involved in the project, particularly in relocating International Towers residents because of fears that Realty might collapse. Those organizations include Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, Catholic Charities, Goodwill, Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership, International Towers administration, Flying High and students from Youngstown State University.

“United Way was a small part,” he said. “We may have been the main ones, but these groups all came together to make it happen.”

He said the 55 people who moved from the International to the Baymont Hotel in Boardman were resilient and among the happiest people he has ever met.

“In my time at United Way, that was probably one of the things we were most proud of,” Hannon said. “Because collaboration is difficult. Who gets the credit? Who takes the lead? Who’s at the top? That was never discussed.”

Steelite also donates tableware to the residents of International Towers.

The building owner has not announced any plans for the site.

“We remain committed to the Realty Tower site with hope for the future. We have every intention of continuing our legacy of honoring Youngstown’s history while moving it into a vibrant future,” Live Youngstown/YO 47 said in a statement. “Redeveloping this site will be an extensive process. In the meantime, the site will be graded and remain undeveloped while we begin the lengthy process of reimagining and planning a new project worthy of this historic location.”

Brown said he and others in the community wanted the Realty Tower site to remain a central hub of downtown.

As demolition of the building nears completion, trucks will begin removing debris from the site, he said. The city is planning a celebration downtown soon, but a date has not yet been set.

Pictured above: From left: Guy Coviello, Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Bob Hannon, Theresa Knapik and Cassandra Valentini, both of Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, and Shelia Triplett, CEO of Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.