Ground Broken for Chill-Can Plant, Final Parcels Acquired
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Today as executives from The Joseph Company International Inc. gathered to turn shovels for the $20 million chill-can plant to be built on the city’s east side, the Mahoning County Land Bank announced that it has acquired 85 parcels of land for the project.
Shortly after 11 a.m. Mitchell J. Joseph, a Youngstown native and CEO of California-based Joseph Company, led a ground-breaking ceremony at the plant site on Lane Avenue, where he expects to create 237 jobs. He was joined by his wife Sue, son Matteo, Youngstown Mayor John McNally and Jim Tressel, the president of Youngstown State University.
The campus will consist of four buildings that will house manufacturing, research and development, distribution services and new administrative offices for the company.
The site is bordered by Himrod Avenue, North Fruit Street, Oak Street and the expressway. The city reached agreements with all of the neighborhood’s residents. A parcel at 130 Lane Ave. was selected for the ground-breaking because Joseph’s family operated a beverage and bottling company, Star Bottling Co., until 1970.
The land bank acquired its 85 parcels as a result of tax foreclosure or directly from property owners, said Daniel R. Yemma, county treasurer and chairman of the land bank’s board of directors. Most of the properties were acquired as vacant undeveloped lots although the land bank also acquired nine abandoned structures — seven houses and two garages, he said.
“This was our largest land assembly project to date,” said Debora Flora, land bank executive director in announcing the purchase of the parcels. “We are better known for our work in revitalizing neighborhoods. Thanks to [Mitchell J. Joseph, CEO of The Joseph Company], we now have a living example of how land banks can assist with economic development.”
The parcels will be transferred from the land bank to the company in the coming weeks, Flora added.
MORE:
Oct. 20, 2016: Chill-Can Plant Incerntives Include $1.5M City Grant
Oct. 15, 2016: $20 Million ‘Chil-Can’ Plant, 250 Jobs Coming to City
Pictured: YSU President Jim Tressel, Matteo, Mitchell and Sue Joseph, and Youngstown Mayor John McNally.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
