Realty Tower Demolition on Schedule, Mayor Reports

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said the owner of Realty Tower and the contractor hired to demolish it assure him that the work is on schedule.

That means enough of the demolition of the building, devastated by a May 28 gas explosion, is expected to be done by Aug. 2 to remove the 210-foot radius collapse zone around the building, making it a construction zone instead. 

“The hotel can reopen, and 173 residents [of International Towers] can get back home,” Brown said at a news conference Friday morning in the community room at the Covelli Centre. “Their life and their community will be a lot better.”

That requires demolition down to the building’s fourth floor.

“But in our conversation with the owner, as well as with the contractor, they believe that they are on target,” the mayor said. “I can only tell you what they give me. I can’t say that without a doubt that they are not going to get there. I have to take them at their word.”

In the meantime, the city is working with the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber to help downtown businesses. The businesses suffered first from decreased customers due to the pandemic, followed by downtown street construction and then the Realty Tower explosion.

Councilman Julius Oliver, 1st Ward, said parking meters have been removed to encourage people to come downtown and patronize businesses.

“There are no tickets being issued by the city for parking,” said the councilman, whose ward includes downtown. “But please respect the construction zones and other areas you should not park in.”

Brown said the city-owned 20 Federal Place lot at Commerce and Phelps will be open soon, with free parking for those coming to the businesses. The lot includes 114 parking spaces. 

“It’s a temporary fix, maybe for the next six months,” Brown said.

The free parking is for customers. Downtown employees are discouraged from on-street parking for the full day.

He said he’s not immune from the challenges facing downtown and he understands it. West Federal Street is expected to reopen soon, Brown said, but he didn’t provide a date.

Although the city has a contract for waterline work on East Boardman Street, the mayor said, “We’re trying to time those better.”

When the work was planned initially, the May 28 explosion wasn’t anticipated. The city is reviewing those plans.

“I don’t want any more streets closed,” he said. “We don’t have enough streets to close right now. I think we’re at the limit right now.” 

With the Regional Chamber, the city is working on a strategic plan for downtown that lays out both short- and long-term goals to help businesses. Some of those short-term strategies include signage directing customers where they can park for free. Oliver said a marketing plan is also in the works.

“We have some opportunity for recovery, but we’ve got to do it together,” Brown said. “I don’t think anybody in this town is saying, ‘We don’t want to get better; we don’t want to go forward.’ The question is, how do we get there?”

Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Regional Chamber, released a statement after the news conference saying economic development in the city begins with a thriving downtown and then connects to Youngstown State University and other neighborhoods.

“The Regional Chamber welcomes this partnership with the City to reset the downtown onto a path toward economic prosperity,” Coviello said in the statement. “We’re encouraged by the passion of so many people and organizations rallying for downtown during this tough time. Our entire Valley has pulled together to overcome past challenges, and this will be no different. Heck, this theme is prominently painted on the side of one of our most successful downtown businesses.”

He said what Brown discussed at the Friday news conference is the beginning of a long-term partnership with the city and stakeholders to stimulate downtown’s economic development.

“It is critical that we continue to support these businesses,” Coviello said in the statement. “As they thrive, our downtown thrives. As downtown thrives, our entire Valley thrives.”

The explosion at the building, owned by YO Properties 47 LLC, killed one man, injured several others and displaced Realty Tower residents. A structural engineer hired by the city determined the building at 47 E. Federal was in imminent danger of collapse. The collapse zone was established, and residents at International Towers were evacuated in mid-June.

The Stambaugh Building, across Federal from Realty, has been closed since the explosion. It houses the DoubleTree By Hilton Youngstown Downtown hotel and Bistro 1907, both of which have been unable to reopen.

Realty Tower demolition started July 12, and Moderalli Excavating Inc. of Poland is the contractor.

Brown said there was some stabilization of the building with cross beams that had to happen before demolition started, but he doesn’t know details. 

“I know that because I watched it on camera to see what they were doing,” he said. “I don’t know enough about what that means.”

The mayor also acknowledged that demolition appears to be progressing slowly. But the contractor encountered issues with equipment.

“I have the same questions, and I continue to watch this daily,” Brown said.

Pictured at top: Councilman Julius Oliver, left, and Mayor Jamael Tito Brown.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.