Downtown demolition will mean more parking

YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s design review committee approved a plan today to demolish four vacant storefronts on West Boardman Street, near Youngstown city hall and across the street from the Mahoning County administration building.

The buildings, between South Phelps Street and Market Street, will be down by early September with the area converted into a 29-space parking lot.

Also today, the committee declined to approve a plan for a fenced-in parking lot layout for the Realty Tower Apartments project.

Committee members want the lot entrance to be bigger. Some members also expressed concern that there is only one way to get in and out of the lot, off of Champion Street.

Officials with the Frangos Group, which owns Realty on Central Federal Street, say they’ll reconsider the design, but won’t do the work if the revisions prove to be too costly.

Work at the downtown 23-apartment complex will be done around Aug. 1, more than a month past its expected completion date.

For the complete story, read Wednesday’s Vindicator or Vindy.com