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1. Energy Efficiency and Systems Management The price of utilities is one of the basic points considered by site location experts when considering relocating a company. Pricing of utilities is volatile to a number of factors including the energy’s source and its efficiency. A 2011 study prepared by Global Green USA inventoried Youngstown’s carbon emissions and offered recommendations for opportunities for sustainability. The study found that a significant portion of Youngstown’s energy use emissions come from generating electricity and that building and facilities including the Wastewater Treatment Plant consume a considerable amount of energy. Several of the recommendations have been incorporated by the city, including updates to the Wastewater Treatment Plant and the installation of new water meters. Opportunities cited in the plan that affect Downtown include: Conducting energy audits on municipal buildings to determine most appropriate and cost effective energy efficiency measures for each, Making bike lanes and alternative-fuel public transportation more available, Endorsing parking “cash-out” programs at local companies, which offer monetary and life style incentives to employees who opt not to drive to work, but rather take bikes, carpool, or public transportation

Switching streetlights and traffic signs to LED bulbs, Taking advantage of Combined Heat and Power to increase heating and cooling efficiency, Promoting energy efficiency improves all aspects of economic development that may hinder growth, Improving coordination and planning of energy efficiency will enhance the financial bottom line that can help distinguish Downtown and the City from other communities.

Next Steps:

• Project utility pricing over the near term
• Convene major property owners to form a memorandum of understanding on energy efficiency Prioritize project list for funding Team: YSU Regional Economic Development Initiative, Public Works Department, Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, Youngstown Thermal Green Infrastructure Alongside the need for green space, a popular effort across the country is the inclusion of green infrastructure. Green infrastructure is the use of vegetation, soils, and other natural processes to manage water because stormwater runoff is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas. Currently when it rains Downtown, the water sits on roofs, parking lots and other impervious surface. It also enters a drainage system, entering the Mahoning River untreated during heavier events because the city’s sewers are combined, meaning that both stormwater and sewage are in a single pipe system with limited capacity that discharges together during wet weather, carrying along with it trash, bacteria, and other pollutants. Green infrastructure disrupts the urban system by mimicking nature, soaking up and storing water with rain barrels, cisterns, and permeable areas such as bioswales. By incorporating green infrastructure, the Downtown could have more attractive green space that serves multiple functions. Green space can be incorporated along the riverfront or as an infill strategy. Environmental sustainability initiatives are crucial for any community intending to be viable in today’s economy. Placemaking is strongly connected to environmental concerns because of the critical role waterways, parks, and green spaces play. Next Steps:

• Review Watershed Action Plan
• Engage Environmental Studies and Engineering students at YSU to review existing plans and comparable cities\
• Bring industry experts on green infrastructure into the community for input Team: Building and Grounds Department, Center for Urban and Regional Studies, Eastgate Regional Council of Goverments, Friends of the Mahoning River, Green Youngstown, Law Department, Public Works Department, Water and Wastewater Department, Western Reserve Port Authority Telecommunications Currently, Youngstown lacks public Internet access for visitors and users of Downtown. Like many other smaller cities throughout the nation, businesses and property owners provide Internet to their customers, employees and tenants while the greater public has limited or no access. People and businesses that rely on broadband have no choice but to invest in locations already equipped with the information and communication technology required to run their business. Educational and health care systems in non-broadband locations lag behind those with broadband. With public and private investments in broadband on the rise, communities unwilling to adapt will face a competitive disadvantage to economic growth. Therefore, a strategic plan to implement a high-performance broadband system that will provide bandwidth to the business and residential areas that encapsulate the campus and Downtown is essential to support, attract, retain and provide the modern infrastructure necessary to help grow business. Downtown Youngstown, home to the #1 ranked university – affiliated Business Incubator (YBI), is cause enough for the City and University to devise an

initiative that aims to provide the necessary infrastructure to spur investment and provide digital equity to users of Downtown, available to all of Youngstown’s residents.
Case Study
In the Columbus Region, the City of Dublin owns and operates the DubLINK broadband system, which consists of 125 miles of conduit and optical fiber and 24 square miles of WIFI covering both business and residential areas. As a result, the City of Dublin has been named a Smart21 community for four consecutive years, achieving Top Seven status in 2010 and 2011, by the Intelligent Community Forum, which is dedicated to economic growth in the broadband economy

Next Steps:

• Draft scope of work for strategic plan Engage regularly with OneCommunity
• Incorporate telecommunications into a capital improvement plan
• Involve the public, non-profit, and private sector for fundraising
• Coordinate street improvements with utility and telecommunication upgrades Team: City IT, DRS Technologies, Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown/Warren

Capital Improvement Plan

The Economic Action Group has recognized the need to focus attention and resources on showcasing successes and the impact investment has on Downtown. One tool that would assist in coordinating efforts to leverage investment would be a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). A CIP is a five-to-six year schedule of capital projects. Capital projects include reconstruction and improvements to facilities such as city hall and fire stations, streets, parking facilities, utility systems, bridges, parks, heavy equipment, sewer and water mains, land purchases, and lighting.

A CIP is beneficial because it helps staff plan and provide advice to coordinating departments and agencies to take advantage of federal and state grant and loan programs. Other advantages include that it is a transparent public process that uses taxpayer’s dollars wisely while focusing on community needs and capabilities in a comprehensive manner. In order to create a CIP for Youngstown, the City must identify needs and costs and perform a financial analysis for adopting a program. A CIP can assist Downtown revitalization by pinpointing specific investments and potential public-private partnerships.

Next Steps

• Assemble feasibility study for a CIP
• Review contracts up for renewal including lighting and parking
• Identify capital improvements for Downtown, and corridors connected to it
• Prepare immediate capital improvement analyses for Wick Avenue, Phelps Street, Federal Plaza, fiber optic cable, and centralized parking
• Coordinate capital improvements with YSU, Eastern Gateway, and other anchors Convene Downtown Visioning Team regularly Team: Center for Urban and Regional Studies,, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Economic and Community Development Agency, Finance Department, Ohio Department of Transportation, Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, Youngstown State University Funding To achieve the initiatives outlined in this plan, understanding and coordination of available funding resources is key. Funding opportunities should be leveraged to achieve the goals of connecting innovation by strengthening education and employment, enhancing the urban landscape with inviting public spaces, creating economic diversification through business development and retention, and mobilizing public, private, and nonprofit partnerships. These goals should be tracked and monitored to evaluate performance and encourage coordination with regional economic development partners. Below is a list of available funding opportunities:
  LOCAL
  Business Improvement District, Hotel Bed Tax, Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing, Tax Increment Financing
  STATE

Clean Ohio Fund, Ohio Development Services Agency, Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Public Works Commission, Ohio Third Frontier, Team NEO FEDERAL
Appalachian Regional Commission, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, Economic Development Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, General Services Administration

Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, National Endowment for the Arts, Small Business Administration
FOUNDATIONS
Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, The Dominion Foundation, FirstEnergy Foundation, The Fund for our Economic Future, The Hines Foundation, Home Savings Charitable Foundation, Huntington Grants, Mill Creek MetroParks Foundation, The Raymond John Wean Foundation, The Rotary Foundation, The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber Foundation, Youngstown Area Jewish Foundation, The Youngstown Foundation, Youngstown State University Foundation

Next Steps:

• Convene City departments and economic development partners regularly
• Monitor success with annual reports on capital investments and grants Team: Eastern Gateway Community College, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Economic and Community Development Agency, MVEDC, Finance Department, Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, Youngstown State University

Sector Analysis

For quite some time urban centers across the country have witnessed community and economic activity dissipate as businesses relocated and commercial competition moved to shopping centers. As a result, high vacancy with little retail is common in Downtowns. Typically, cities do not know how to appropriately attract businesses because the development model has preferred large, isolated properties. Demographic and cultural shifts are once again bringing life to urban centers, however exploring business and entrepreneurial activities remains difficult. One solution is to employ a market analysis from the ground up that involves local business leaders, developers, and economic professionals. This analysis can pinpoint real estate opportunities and locally initiated attraction techniques by focusing on the strengths, assets, history, and unique nature of Downtown.
Downtown should prepare a market analysis that looks at residential, office, retail, services, arts, restaurants, entertainment, lodging, and educational opportunities. A better understanding of the market can lead to more in-depth analysis of the trade area, demographics, regional economics, and consumer preferences that may provide out of the box solutions for niche development and space usage.

Next Steps:

• Analyze Peer City Review in the Economic Development Strategic Plan
• Formulate metrics and data collection necessary to target retention, expansion, and attraction benchmarks
• Survey Downtown businesses regularly
• Encourage Infill Strategy
• Create a core study group responsible for market analysis and benchmarks Team: Center for Urban and Regional Studies, Downtown Business Alliance of Youngstown, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Economic and Community Development Agency, Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber Entrepreneurial Support Downtowns are ideal locations for entrepreneurship because of the close proximity of individuals and institutions that allow for collaboration. Groups can convene to test ideas and strategies that may spur economic development. Access to transit and close location to urban neighborhoods allows for creative partnerships to expand employment and educational opportunities to disadvantaged populations. Downtown has the unique advantage of several innovation drivers such as the business incubator and university.
  Past recommendations and studies for Youngstown have mentioned a lack of focus on supporting local entrepreneurship. There are limited resources for encouraging, promoting, and providing information on how to start or expand a business within the City. Downtown with its variety of building types and access to individuals with various professional development backgrounds provides an ideal venue for supporting entrepreneurialism.

Downtown should embrace the Downtown Business Alliance and local partners such as the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, the CommonWealth Kitchen Incubator, the Youngstown Business Incubator, Oak Hill Collaborative, and the Monus Entrepreneurship Center to support retail and service growth. Growing jobs by ones and twos is fundamental to creating strong local economies. Communities must support the creation and growth of a large number of small businesses rather than relying on a small number of large firms. Down- town’s revitalization can be fueled by small start-ups and economic gardening strategies that develop talent and social entrepreneurs. This type of approach resonates with students and young professionals looking for challenging and rewarding work that has a tangible impact.

Next Steps:

• Conduct pop-up events in collaboration with the Downtown Events Coordinator
• Research feasibility of makerspace units to support the arts and IT that will identify potential developers, non-profits that can partner, and local businesses that would benefit from a public showroom
• Support Infill Strategy by partnering with YSU departments, YSUscape, Legal Creative, Power of the Arts, Youngstown Design Works and private property owners for active storefronts
• Align business support services
• Convene networking events to encourage collaboration, such as Code Youngstown and the Inventors Club Team: College of Arts and Creative Communication at YSU, CommonWealth Kitchen Incubator, Downtown Business Alliance of Youngstown, Eastern Gateway Community College, Economic and Community Development Agency, Foundations, International Trade Assistance Center, Kiwanis, The Legal Creative, Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation, Mahoning Valley Young Professionals, Oak Hill Collaborative, Power of the Arts, Rotary of Youngstown, Williamson College of Business & Administration at YSU Services Plan Inconsistency between what maintenance services the City is responsible for and what property owners are led to the recent creation of a memorandum of understanding. Responsibilities of property owners include keeping storefronts clean, shoveling snow in front of businesses, and having appropriate garbage disposal. These individual responsibilities may be onerous for some property owners, requiring a lot of time and manpower. One solution is the consideration of the creation of a special improvement district. A special improvement district can leverage taxes collected within a defined area for a variety of services including safety, maintenance, and events on top of city-provided services that include emptying trash receptacles, shoveling snow in public areas, and street sweeping. This improvement district would be a public-private partnership based off of the mall model where there is a common area maintenance fee. It will also help create clean and safe Downtown commercial space with targeting marketing, beautification, and business services. Additionally, as improvement districts have evolved in other cities beyond the focus of maintenance, security, and marketing; they have become avenues for programming, community building and placemaking. An improvement district can assist with transforming Downtown into a destination through governance and leadership. Next Steps:

• Call for regular meetings between Downtown business owners and city officials to address areas of mutual concern
• Enforce the City’s code and memorandum of understanding
• Determine which services the City provides and what property owners should provide and identify any gaps

• Identify opportunities to collaborate and provide services, particularly Wayfinding and Information Ambassadors, Hospitality and Management, Security, Valet System, Snow

Removal, Landscaping, and Trash Removal

Team:

Cityscape, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Economic and Community Development Agency, Finance Department, Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown/ Warren Regional Chamber, Youngstown State University

Key Locations

Opportunity sites offer endless alternatives for community and economic development. These underutilized and/or vacant sites should be assessed for interim and long-term redevelopment. Options for redevelopment include industry and manufacturing, housing, community facilities, open space, and recreation. Opportunity sites identified by the City should be marketed across multiple platforms to potential investors. Stakeholders such as industry, property owners, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, and Western Reserve Port Authority should continue to work with the City to recognize and utilize state and federal funding for cleaning of properties, mixed use development, and historic preservation with the intention of creating greater employment and residential density that will increase fiscal and market capacity of Downtown.

Next Steps:

• Convene stakeholders to categorize, analyze, and prioritize opportunity sites on a bi- annual basis
• Identify barriers to development and implement remediation plans to address such barriers
• Identify site readiness of each site
• Create campaigns of opportunity sites available through the City’s website, InSite, and other commercial development websites Team: Center for Urban and Regional Studies, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Eastern Gateway Community College, Economic and Community Development Agency, 

  Federal Liaisons

  , JobsOhio, Mahoning County Land Bank, Vibrant NEO, Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown State University, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber Infill Strategy Providing opportunities for revitalization that preserve open space and increase the tax base by renewing a property’s value are outcomes of an infill strategy. Infilling takes advantage of abandoned, vacant, and underutilized sites by recognizing the significant locational and infrastructural support that older properties often provide. Infilling is a popular strategy because it strengthens local businesses, spurs involvement, and increases quality of life. Also, it provides authentic and enduring destinations. Infill strategies can attract locals and tourists because their creativity draws attention, providing an anchor quality that may lead to other incremental locally-based improvements. One common approach to infill strategies is “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper” that incorporates incremental steps through low-cost experiments that promote local talent in public and underutilized spaces. It’s an alternative to capital- heavy, top-down planning. There are several regional partners and institutions with knowledge on infilling best practices. Examples of projects in Youngstown and in the region include the establishment of community gardens and farmers markets, pop-up retail shops, food trucks, co-working facilities, and live/work studios. Next Steps:

• Conduct a space utilization survey
• Prepare Phelps Street Plan for pedestrian-only entertainment street between Federal and Commerce streets
• Prepare a green space and recreation plan for interim use of city-owned vacant parcels

• Determine actual and perceived barriers that limit pedestrian movement between

Downtown and destinations

Team:

Center for Urban and Regional Studies , Cityscape, Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative/Kent State University, Downtown Wellness Community, Economic and Community Development Agency, 

Mahoning County Land Bank, 


MillCreek Metroparks, Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber

1. State Bikeway Plan – Eastgate Regional Council of Governments Map and Letter, 2017 Downtown Bike Connectivity Map, 2017
   Downtown Vision and Action Plan, 2015
   Regional Bicycle Plan, 2010 Study for Mahoning Avenue Corridor Trail with linkages to YSU and the Convention Center, 2009
   Mill Creek MetroParks – Fellows Riverside Gardens Master Plan

SCORP, 2013 – Discusses trails and water based trails in Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley as well as the Mahoning River
Youngstown Riverfront Amphitheater Park Master Plan, 2016