Continued progress on CityScape at Briel’s was among the highlights for Youngtown CityScape in 2025, Martha Morgan, development director, reports.
Sharon Letson, executive director, leads 14 full- and part-time employees in their efforts to improve Youngstown’s public green space and infrastructure and to host events such as First Friday and the annual downtown Holiday Parade, Tree Lighting, and Holiday Market. The organization also offers amenities that enliven the environment and improve the quality of life.
“With the help of strategic partners and tremendous volunteer support, our projects promote Youngstown, brighten our streets with colorful flowers, incorporate outdoor art, create lush public green space and focus on making our downtown a destination,” Morgan says.
The downtown community development corporation is finalizing the renovation of the city’s last greenhouse as a community gardening resource center, and the greenhouse was made weather-tight and fully functional as a growing and educational space.
In 2026, CityScape will host its 29th annual Planting Day on May 30, as part of the team planning Youngstown’s America 250 – Ohio celebration. “As part of a long-term project, we’ll continue to help restore Youngstown’s urban tree canopy as a partner in the five-year, $5 million Tree Corps program through the U.S.,” Morgan says.
