New cool finds are in abundance on the west side of the city of youngstown.
Steel Street - home to the Open Hearth and its art deco basement/party room, home to the Palm Cafe and its Croatian barbecue goodness, home to Roscoe's butcher shop and its great cuts & prices, and home to County Mayo and its Irish vibes - is now home to a new entity: Shanghai-based Cuisine at the Orthodox Church every Thursday.
St. Michael's Orthodox Church, right where Steel Street passes over I-680, opens its social hall as both a dine-in or take-out option for homemade (always non-fried, a nice change) chinese food.
Every week, this $5 meal will feature food like this:
Above is pork in a brown sauce (non-fried), with a cabbage dish and brown rice.
Below, shredded chicken with the same cabbage side and white rice.
All types of chinese teas for free, or free coffee.
Desserts for a buck or two extra.
This thursday:
a beef dish, with the classic (but seldom found in local chinese restaurants/take-out) tomatoe and egg mixture will be on the menu.
But why is there a Shanghai-style chef operating in St. Michael's Orthodox Church on Steel Street?
Underneath the canopy of a beautiful old linden tree, a community came together today to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new park in the city of Youngstown.
Harrison Commons will be the social and nature-based center of the redesign of the Smoky Hollow neighborhood.
While the overall push to develop the surrounding property into many mixed-use properties has been slower-going because of the nationwide recession, stakeholders are moving forward in the short term with infrastructure and design improvements.
With the recent University Courtyard Apartments in the background...
...along with the metal sculptural gates at YSU's Bliss Hall...
...this new park will have some interesting design components as well.
For example, built in stone spread out on the ground at the entrance to the Park will be a replication of the Smoky Hollow neighborhood as it existed in the early 20th century.
Using old Sanborn fire insurance maps for the 1920s and 1940s, the following map was created:
Interestingly, the neighborhood contained a number of public bread ovens back in the day.
Maybe that would be a fantastic addition to existing neighborhoods in the near future? (go see our friends in Braddock PA to see how it's done)
With shovels in hand,
the space along North Walnut street is seeing new life.
Mmore information on the neighborhood plan is available at Wick Neighbors.
This morning, two signs identifying the distinct neighborhoods of Youngstown's 7th Ward were installed on the South Side.
With three more installations to add within the week, this quality signage will promote the following places as neighborhoods of choice:
Buckeye Plat Brownlee Woods Lansingville Cochran Run Boulevard Park
While it may look like simply a neighborhood project, the message behind the signs speaks to something greater...
From the 7th Ward Citizens Coalition:
"When the project started out it seemed "small" in terms of perspective in the grand scheme of things, but today, seeing the signs actually in place, one gets a very palpable sense of pride and neighborhood unity.
This is much more than the installation of a few signs; it's a demonstration that people care about the quality of our neighborhoods and the sense of history and identity that these neighborhoods bring to our city as a whole.
As Youngstown moves forward in this century, we can look back with pride on this project as a great achievement in revitalizing the strength of our neighborhoods."
The sign project was funded in part by Neighborhood Success Grants from the Wean Foundation, as well as private donations and some discretionary funds from Councilman John R. Swierz.
The 7th Ward Citizens Coalition webpage is available at www.7wcc.org
The Wick Park Neighborhood Association (WPNA website here) successfully launched a new tradition in the city - the Wick Park Easter Egg Hunt.
On hand was a 6 foot easter bunny...
Students from nearby Ursuline High School were instrumental in the success of the event, volunteering time to help kids with arts and crafts throughout the day.
A great diversity of people made it out to this historic neighborhood on the North Side.
more bunny videos...
The next meeting of the Wick Park Neighborhood Association will be this Monday April 19th at 6pm at the Unitarian Church. The agenda includes:
Housing/Street/Safety: - Wick Park Neighborhood Input/CDBG Program - Housing Update, North Side Citizens' Coalition Update - Arson Suspect Update - Weed & Seed Meeting Recap - MVOC Corner Store Analysis Data, Grant Writing Volunteers ($500 Grants) - Land Bank/Code Enforcement/Zoning Code Update
Other Projects/Events/Announcements: - Wick Park Project, Senate Leadership Tour & Mayor's Presentation in Pittsburgh - Wick Park Easter Egg Hunt Recap - Farmer's Market Update - Grey to Green Festival Planning Meeting Recap - Fairgreen Neighborhood Garden - Garden Party (Thurs, April 22nd - 4-6pm) - Concert @ Peace House (4/28/10) & Music at Madison (Dorian Books) - Upcoming Performances - Wick Park Neighborhood Spring Clean-Up - Set Date - Neighborhood Assistance Projects - Peace Pole, Wick 6 Building
all looking to improve this section of the city welcome...
Earlier this week, a post commented on "watching where the puck is going" in terms of technology-based economic development.
It's the same vision that's needed in terms of neighborhood development.
We can take a step back and see where the institutional investments are currently being made, see who is putting the sweat equity into housing, and see where the commercial infrastructure remains for future growth.
And going through this process, the Garden District on Youngstown's west side emerges as a place of choice.
People are choosing Youngstown and its Garden District, but the critical mass is not there quite yet.
We need to build that critical mass. Let's all move into the Garden District.
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But first, where is the Garden District?
It's the closest residential neighborhood on the west side to downtown, on the other side of the Frank Sinkwich bridge from the artist/light industrial area of the Mahoning Commons. The Garden District is nestled on three sides by well-manicured greenspace: Mill Creek Park to the south, Calvary Cemetery to the west, and Fellows Riverside Gardens (big flickr presence here) to the east. The commercial strip of Mahoning Avenue is its northern boundary.
It was the first neighborhood to go through the Youngstown 2010 individual neighborhood planning process, and you can access that plan here.
The Garden District Neighborhood Group meets regularly (meeting and contact info here), and just received a neighborhood success grant from the Wean Foundation for landscaping equipment (to be then shared with the community toolshed) and tree planting in the devil strips.
A comprehensive online photo album of the neighborhood is here.
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Second, what do people like about living in the Garden District?
well, I asked some of them:
from a twenty-something couple:
"When we moved to the Garden District, the reason [we thought] we loved it was because our family lived in Youngstown.
But now, our family is no longer in the area. Today, we know we love Youngstown, but for a different reason. We love our neighbors on our street and the families around us."
from a local architect who moved here from Canton:
"I chose this particular neighborhood because it's so close to the park. I can walk to Fellows Gardens and look out over Lake Glacier. After work, I just get off the bus early and go smell the roses, and walk around the rest of the gardens for a little while."
from a resident engaged in Youngstown's emerging technology cluster:
"I work in the Youngstown Business Incubator [ybi], and I often walk or bike the short commute to my job downtown. In my free time, I can go for a run in Mill Creek Park which I consider (literally) to be my backyard."
I guess my point is, if you are looking to move to Youngstown and like what these people have to say about the neighborhood, consider the Garden District.
This place can really become a hub of in-town living.
Let's review what makes this neighborhood great in the eyes of its residents:
- well-built and affordable housing stock from the 1930s - connectivity to an abundance of greenspace - immediacy to a grocery store, post office, two bakeries, restaurants - Fellows Riverside Gardens is expanding its beauty - proximity to downtown and YSU - "urban fabric" density still strong, house after house all there - all bus routes to the west side and austintown go through - freeway access in neighborhood to I-680 and all points east and west - adjacent to the events and classes at Fellows Riverside Gardens - commercial space available for future use
If you have an interest in living in the neighborhood, these people quoted above are willing to speak with you more in detail about housing prices, reputable contractors, neighborhood groups, etc.
And if you are willing to join the existing Hungarian, Mexican, Irish, and Croatian BBQ restaurants in walking distance of the Garden District, maybe there is some space for your next commercial venture as well.
if you haven't been able to attend a neighborhood cleanup yet, the city will assist you on May 16th with the one you create.
from the Youngstown Litter Control & Recycling Office:
Youngstown Litter Control and Recycling in conjunction with the Keep America Beautiful Program is sponsoring a city-wide litter cleanup of Youngstown’s public lands, roads and neighborhoods on May 16th.
• Gather a team from your family, work place, church, social clubs, or neighbors
• Register your team using this form, or call to register at (330) 744-7526
• Choose an area to cleanup, or ask us to assign one for you.
• If you can’t cleanup on May 16, pick a date your team can work, and go to work.
• We will provide trash bags and gloves for your team.
• We will help pick up, and dispose of, or recycle the trash your team collects.
seems like a pretty good deal.
you do the labor, they provide equipment, and they collect the trash and recyclables.
It's inspiring to see the great ideas sprouting from new organizations, especially from people who have recently relocated into the youngstown region.
You may have heard of the Grow Youngstown group, as their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) service with local farms has been a welcomed success.
Grow Youngstown's newest effort is putting together an upcoming weekend workshop titled "Introduction to Permaculture" which will be a mix between designing sustainable environments and learning gardening techniques.
Done in partnership with Treez Please and Fellows Riverside Gardens in Mill Creek Park, the workshop will feature the ecologists and champion gardeners from The Ohio State University Carbon Management and Sequestration Center and Habitats Landscaping.
who might be interested in attending? - those from Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburgh - home gardeners looking to get started or improve their skills - neighborhood leaders - city residents - professional landscapers - bloggers who care about sustainability - those looking to save on grocery bills
Besides the instruction, individuals will be making site visits of existing gardens and will be producing preliminary designs from what they have learned.
the details: the workshop is saturday march 21st as well as sunday march 22nd.
the location is the new Davis Center at 123 McKinley Ave in the Yo.
the cost is $70 for the weekend, but $60 each if there are two from an organization, and $50 each if there are three from an organization.
scholarships are also available.
call 212.255.3505 for more info or email csa (at) growyoungstown.org
this is all about a region getting greener . . .
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bonus:
on the day before, friday March 20th, Grow Youngstown will be having a fundraiser/movie event
6pm - start featuring food from local restaurants 7pm - auction of items valued from $50 to $350 7:30pm - movie "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil"
admission is $10 at the door
location is the Garden Cafe at Fellows Riverside Gardens
as promised, here are the links to the two National Vacant Properties Campaign reports released today:
full report (17MB) here. flushed out five recommendations with case studies (3.7MB) here.
here are the five central recommendations: - Institute a Regional Real Property Information System (RPIS) - Expand and Synchronize City and Suburban Code Enforcement Policies and Programs - Establish a Joint-County Land Bank - Adopt Community Development Strategies Suitable for Shrinking Markets - Infuse Vacant Property Reclamation into Neighborhood Plans and 2010 Comprehensive Plan
here is an interesting bit from page 30, with the knowledge of the city receiving $2.7 million in NSP funds:
"We would urge city and county leaders to carefully consider using the majority of their [Neighborhood Stabilization] funds for capacity-building projects and programs and resist the temptation to use all of the funds for demolition or acquisition and rehabilitation. Investment in a land bank would pay dividends well beyond mere property demolition and acquisition."
It is interesting to consider the existing policies and actions over time which perpetuate no-growth sprawl. Well over 400 homes have been built every year in the county since 1999 according to the report, and one wonders where they were all built.
For example: what will be the future of Western Reserve Road?
will it develop into a southern retreat for more of the commercial heart of the county, rendering route 224 to become more barren?
will more roads further out result in fewer services like snow removal and higher expenses for repaving these miles and miles of new roads for those who remain in the inner-ring suburbs?
is this all sustainable for a region slightly shrinking in population?
However, the Lieutenant Governor will coming to Youngstown on february 17th to examine the city's neighborhoods and meet its residents.
[but hey, some quick Dukes of Hazard trivia: The original Daisy Duke, Catherine Bach, is from Youngstown (warren). And the tv show was distributed by Warner Bros., who were also from Youngstown.]
At the invitation of the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative (MVOC), Lt. Gov. Fisher and staff from the Ohio Department of Development will be in town all day to hear from the community.
The goal: illustrate to Lee Fisher that Youngstown is organized and focused, and hungry for an adequate level of cooperation from the state, especially regarding vacant properties.
The location: Union Baptist Church (downtownish - Arlington Heights) at 528 Lincoln Avenue 44503 to begin at 12pm. lunch is provided. but you MUST rsvp here to attend, as spaces cannot be guaranteed.
My personal wish: The Ohio government realizes Youngstown is worth investing tech-based economic funds in addition to neighborhood stabilization funds. Youngstown should be a pilot city for the Ohio Hubs of Innovation program.
city stabilization + economic development investments = improved quality of life
One of the neighborhood parks here in Auckland, New Zealand have done some pretty interesting things with buildings slated for demolition.
In Western Park (Te Rimu Tahi) right off of Ponsonby Road, designers planted the remains of discarded stoic buildings right into the earth.
It's an interesting idea for a park, but also a keen concept for Youngstown, as many beautiful buildings in the Yo have been removed in the past to make space for parking lots or newer structures.
Even though in Youngstown we should preserve in their present location (and illuminate) the facades of some buildings (see Kress Building, State Theater, and Paramount Theater, for examples), there may be an opportunity to recycle other structures for what we see here in New Zealand.
There are other little aspects of this park which we can even use in the redesign of Wick Park.
check out this disposal site for doggy doo:
and this stone mosaic, welcoming visitors at one entrance:
stay tuned for more stories in the future on other examples of urban design in New Zealand.
