YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The plan to open a Mahoning County government center in downtown Youngstown will bring more workers into the city and more customers to its businesses.
County officials and the Western Reserve Port Authority approved an agreement Jan. 21 to develop a new government center on the site of a deteriorating parking deck on the east side of downtown.
The port authority purchased the 51-year-old Plaza Place deck and an adjacent building last year. The deck, which has retail and office space on its ground level, will have to be demolished before construction of the county building begins.
The deck’s sole tenant since Eastern Gateway’s official closure last September is a Mocha House restaurant, which occupies space where The Business Journal operated from 1987 to 1995. Plans call for the restaurant to move into the former Eastern Gateway building across the street, which the port authority also bought.
The condition of the parking garage section makes the demolition necessary. Repairing the half of the deck that needs addressed to reopen it would cost $18 million, according to WRPA’s Randy Partika. At least another $18 million would be required about a decade later to repair the half of the deck that is in fair condition.
The new building would provide modern space for county agencies, including ones that now are operating in inadequate spaces. Among the departments being contemplated for a move is the Mahoning County Board of Elections, whose officials have complained for months about the conditions at their current space in Oak Hill Renaissance Place.
Critics concerned about losing parking spaces downtown from the deck demolition – spaces that already aren’t available – should take note that the new structure will include parking that could be available to the public.
Would it be better to have new commercial development in downtown Youngstown rather than have taxpayer money put into the property? Perhaps. But the city’s central business district – the Mahoning Valley’s largest downtown – already has too many decaying properties and vacant lots waiting for something to happen. Opportunities are rare for a site that spans a city block.
Construction of the building will create jobs, provide the opportunity to design spaces to meet modern needs and potentially spur other investment. County workers relocating from outside downtown would provide a new customer base for downtown restaurants that continue to struggle.
That would be a good outcome.
