Corridor project looks to better Belmont Avenue

YOUNGSTOWN -- The efforts underway to revitalize the Belmont Avenue corridor were on display Wednesday evening during an open house at the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission.

"Youngstown and Liberty Township have been working together to study the Belmont Avenue corridor (from Giant Eagle to the B&O station downtown) to improve the area and meet the needs of residents 10 to 15 years from now," said Sarah Lowry, Build a Better Belmont committee member.

Eight poster boards on easels were placed throughout the meeting room. Each board explained the reasoning for the gathering, which was to build a better Belmont Avenue. This route is a major commercial and travel route between Liberty Township to downtown Youngstown. The boards displayed the demographics of the people who use the corridor, such as the types of transportation that they use to problems with the area, including frequent vehicle accidents and safe crosswalks for bus riders.

"I live in Liberty and I work in Youngstown. I love the idea of enhancing what we have," said Sarah Wilshek, a project volunteer.

Third Ward Councilwoman Samantha Turner was at the meeting to listen to her constituents about the plans. She said she is excited about the potential for improvement of the area.

"I wanted to see what progress they have made to this point," said one Youngstown resident. "I wouldn't live anywhere else but the North Side. I like that they want to make it better."

Jack Kravitz, former owner of Kravitz Delicatessen on Belmont Avenue and the outgoing president of Bike Belmont said, "This is a good way to hear options. I think we need more walking areas, so we need to rethink how the roads are plus there are a lot of vacant parking lots that could possibly be turned into green space."

Belmont Avenue business owner Renee Malutic came to the event with personal and professional interest.

"I took time to fill out the survey, and I wanted to check out the progress that they have made. I am interested on the impact this plan will have on my store and Belmont Avenue," Malutic said. She wondered if the reconfiguration will help or hinder customers coming to her location.

A lifelong Youngstown resident, Blythe Caban, said that he came to the event as a neighbor and as a recently retired union member.

"I support the need to upgrade Belmont and have it work better for the area," he said.