YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The city’s Board of Control on Thursday approved a measure to secure a $1.27 million state grant to improve roadway access to the Crab Creek industrial corridor.
The BOC, composed Thursday of Mayor Derrick McDowell and Law Director Adam Buente, approved entering into an agreement with the Ohio Department of Development that enables the city to accept the grant. The BOC’s third member, Finance Director Kyle Misak, was absent from the meeting.
In June, the Ohio Controlling Board approved allocating the grant money toward the construction of 950 linear feet of roadway connecting the intersection at U.S. Route 62 and Albert Street with North Garland Avenue on the city’s East Side.
The grant covers approximately 75% of the estimated cost for the connector, the city said, which would improve access to 32 acres owned by the Western Reserve Port Authority that includes the former McGuffey Mall and Garland Plaza properties.
The port authority spent $1.8 million on property acquisition and remediation for the site. The remediation included $560,963 in cleanup funds from the state, $160,817 for Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments and $250,000 from the city’s American Rescue Plan allocation for the 2nd Ward.
Pictured at top: The site of the former McGuffey Mall property is seen in this image captured from video. (Western Reserve Port Authority)