Land Bank, YNDC selling renovated commercial building

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Land Bank and Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. are working together to sell a newly renovated West Side commercial building that had sat vacant for more than a decade.

The recent listing of the 2,240-square-foot structure at 984 Bears Den Road for sale marks another milestone in the partnership of the two agencies to restore and revive vacant, abandoned properties.

"This is a major step in our partnership with YNDC," said Debora Flora, Land Bank executive director. "The process is much like our work with residential properties — we're taking a non-marketable and abandoned property, finding out what we need to do to bring it back to life and restoring it as a marketable property with a clean title — but in this case, we're helping to bring employment, too.

"And we so badly need that here so that excites me all the more."

The Land Bank acquired the building after it was foreclosed on for non-payment of real estate taxes.

YNDC acquired the building from the Land Bank earlier this year and recently completed renovations, including the installation of a new roof, two new furnaces and a staircase leading to an upper storage loft. It also restored utilities, overhead doors, electrical work and more.

"This project reflects the power of the Land Bank and its ability to acquire vacant properties, clean the titles and serve as a vehicle for YNDC to be able to revitalize and bring revitalization," said Ian Beniston, YNDC executive director. "We look forward to continuing to bring jobs to this area."

The Land Bank specializes in acquiring vacant, abandoned properties and repurposing them, and YNDC's services include renovating properties and marketing them to qualified buyers. This marks the partners' first commercial revitalization venture.

The building features two small offices, a bathroom, a heated garage with four overhead doors and a fenced in backyard.

"We're excited to see what we can continue to do with commercial revitalization by joining forces with community partners like YNDC," Flora said.

The building formerly housed a company that made aluminum products for the construction industry, as well as an automotive repair shop.

The property is listed at $89,000.

For more information, click here.

This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Land Bank, YNDC selling renovated commercial building."