Monthly Meeting Updates: November 2010

This month the Board Of Zoning Appeals, City Planning Commission, and the Design Review Committee have met to discuss new business that has been brought before them:

Board Of Zoning Appeals
(Tuesday, November 16, 2010 @ 1:30pm)

CASE NO. 10-10: Mt. Gilead Baptist Church applied for the following variances; 1) To increase the allowable building ratio from 10% to 15.5%; 2) To increase the front yard setback from 60' to 30', the side yard setback from 30' to 15', and the rear yard setback from 30' to 15'; 3) To reduce the required parking spaces from 50 to 44.  The property in question is located at 2821 Hillman Ave. in an R-72, Single- Family Residential Zoning District.  Approval Granted
Attended- Chuck Sasho, Angelo Pignatelli, Irving Lev, Heather McMahon
Did not attend- Iris Guglucello, Jason Roller

Planning Commission
(Tuesday, November 16, 2010 @1:45pm)

REF NO. 09-10: The City of Youngstown submitted a request to change the zoning classification form, INS, Institutional to B-2, General Business.  The property in question is bounded by W. Princeton Ave., Utilis St., W. Indianola Ave., and Glenwood Ave., City lot number 24495.  Approval Recommended
Attended- Chuck Sasho, Angelo Pignatelli, Irving Lev, Heather McMahon
Did not attend- Iris Guglucello, Jason Roller

Design Review Committee
(Tuesday, November 2, 2010 @9:00am)

Case No. DRC 10-23: Atlas Neon Sign Corporation submitted a proposal for installation of lighted channel letter style wall signage on three sides of the building including logos and lettering reading 'First National Bank'.  The property in question is located at One Federal Plaza W... Measure Approved
Attended- John DeFrance, Chuck Shasho, Ray DeCarlo, Karen Perkins
Did not attend- Summer Barker, Jason Rupe, Phil Kidd, Justin Rogers

Paper copies of the official meeting agendas can be requested from the City Planning Department, located at 9 W. Front St., 3rd Floor, Suite 315.

Youngstown Rental Property Registration Update

The Rental Property Registration program (RPR) is in full swing!  Inspectors are visiting between 50 and 70 properties a week.  During their inspection activities they are also identifying rental properties that have not yet registered.  Youngstown residents have been very eager to assist our office in identifying rental properties in their neighborhood.  We also get calls daily from tenants who want to confirm that their apartment is registered. 

        

The City of Youngstown gave landlords all summer long to register their properties.  On September 30, 2010, a press conference was held to notify the public that fines of $100.00 per week would be imposed against any landlord that did not comply with the ordinance by registering all of their rental properties by October 7, 2010.

Landlords can download the registration forms from the City's website. There they will also find the Rental Property Registration checklist.  Landlords are encouraged to go through rental properties with the checklist in hand to ensure that the properties are up to code before the inspectors arrive.  If a violation is found during the first or second inspection, there is a $40.00 fee for re-inspection.  If a property does not pass inspection during the third inspection, there is a $100.00 re-inspection fee.

 

The RPR office sets appointments with the property owner or the property manager by phone.  An appointment time is scheduled, and if requested, the inspector will call the property owner or manager when they are on their way to the inspection site. If the RPR Office confirms an appointment and then the inspectors are not provided access to the property during the scheduled time, the property owner will be charged a $25.00 “no-show fee”.  Cancellations can be made until 8:00 a.m. the morning of the scheduled time by calling (330) 742-8833 anytime. If the office is closed, a message may be left. 

The City of Youngstown encourages anyone who may suspect that a property is a rental unit to e-mail the address to rpr@cityofyoungstownoh.com. They may also mail it to the office at City Hall, 9 West Front Street, Suite 315, Youngstown, OH, 44503.   

Idora Neighborhood Streets Get a New Look

On Tuesday, November 9th 2010, the first of the new Idora Neighborhood street signs will be hung on the corner of Winona and Glenwood.  The public unveiling will take place at 3 p.m. The new custom designed signage depicts the neighborhood name in a raised center arch above the street name. Installation of the new neighborhood-specific signs represents the continued partnership between the City of Youngstown CDA and Idora Neighborhood Association in that area's ongoing revitalization. New signage for Idora is part of a specific strategy to increase neighborhood pride as outlined in the Idora Neighborhood Comprehensive Plan. By taking some extra time to compare pricing, the CDA was able to purchase the new signs at a reduced cost for Youngstown taxpayers. At $48.50 each, the total price for the custom-cut metal blanks and decals is a substantial savings compared to what the city has traditionally paid for its ordinary street signs. The CDA plans to work with Idora residents in installing the signs. Once these new street signs are in place, the CDA would like to target other City neighborhoods for custom signage, such as Brownlee Woods and Lincoln Knolls on the south and east sides of town, respectively.