Trumbull Gets $400K to Implement YARS Land Use Study
VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Trumbull County has been awarded a $399,725 grant to implement the Youngstown Air Reserve Station joint-use land study over the next two years.
The study, completed in the fall, looked at the factors and issues around the expansion of YARS. Among the recommendations included in the final report are amending planning codes to coordinate alternative energy development, evaluate land acquisitions that could be used to house a new main gate on King Graves Road and incorporate military compatibility planning into capital improvement and infrastructure master plans.
All recommendations, as well as the final study, can be read at YARSJLUS.com.
“We, as a military defense community, cannot thank Commissioners Fuda, Polivka and Cantalamessa enough for being willing and able partners in this process,” said Vito Abruzzino, director of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission. “Particular thanks is also given to the Trumbull County Planning Commission for its active role in all steps of the JLUS process. An award of this magnitude simply would not have been possible without the Commission’s hard work, cooperation and assistance.”
A national request for proposals to contract and execute the grant funding will be release soon.
The air station’s joint land use study is just the second to be done in Ohio, noted state Sen. Sean O’Brien, D-32 Bazetta, whose district includes the base.
“To see one executed here in Trumbull County, focused on our largest employer in YARS, is something to be proud of. This award of nearly $400,000 to benefit and protect the base is a huge victory for our area, and I intend to remain fully engaged as the process continues,” he said.
Added state Sen. Michael Rulli, R-33 Salem: “When we moved to secure state budget dollars for local military advocacy, this was exactly the type of return on investment we hoped to see. The overall economic impact of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station on the Valley as a whole must be protected. Reactive measures are a way of the past. Proactive thinking and strategies must be embraced.”
For more information on the YARS Joint Land Use Study, contact Abruzzino at vito@regionalchamber.com or 330 219 3081.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
