YOUNGSTOWN — A proposed ambitious development and transportation project in which the Western Reserve Transit Authority is invested could dramatically transform the Market Street landscape through Youngstown and most of Boardman.

“Market Street was built and developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s,” said Tim Rosenberger, project manager with WSP, a Cleveland-based engineering-consulting firm.

WSP is working with the WRTA on a wide-ranging Transit-Oriented Development plan, which was discussed in detail during the first of two virtual neighborhood forums Monday. The session was to collect input on what people want regarding improving bus service, spearheading and facilitating types of development and adjusting zoning regulations to promote further economic activity on and in neighborhoods near Market Street.

A TOD is a type of urban plan and development blueprint that incorporates and maximizes the quantity of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport while creating mixed-use and compact communities in those areas.

TODs have transformed neighborhoods in Cleveland and other regional cities, Rosenberger said, noting that the concept also aligns with how much of Mahoning Avenue was built and laid out.

“This is something that is increasingly common,” he added.

Some overall improvement ideas for Market Street include more frequent buses, zoning changes to make walking, bicycling and using the buses easier and safer, better sidewalks and crosswalks and improved lighting.

Another proposal was creating a nonstop route from WRTA’s downtown station to St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital on McClurg Road, about a mile south of Southern Park Mall. The move would eliminate having to transfer to a second bus at the mall to reach the hospital, Rosenberger explained.

The section near Market Street and Midlothian Boulevard, which separates Youngstown and Boardman, has the Newport branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, a convenience store and several fast-food restaurants. Proposed additions and improvements there include information kiosks, custom bus shelters and shared bus and bicycle lanes, along with sidewalk and crosswalk improvements, Rosenberger continued.

Long-term project goals are to attract new residents and jobs, extend such benefits to surrounding neighborhoods and provide better links to downtown Youngstown, Interstate 680, Youngstown State University and Mill Creek MetroParks, he noted.

The estimated 25 meeting participants also broke into focus groups to discuss what they hope to see on the northern and southern portions of Market Street in Youngstown, as well as along the Boardman corridor.

Ideas for the northern section near Pyatt Street, which includes Community Corrections Association facilities and offices, were building a park in the area and making further use of vacant parcels and greenspaces.

The southern part of Market that encompasses the Uptown area and Indianola Avenue to Midlothian Boulevard could benefit via mixed-use approaches, such as retail space, apartments and offices, an assistant-living center on the former Master’s Tuxedo property, a full-service grocery store and condominiums.

The area also “has a severe lack of health care choices, so we think it’s a very good site for that,” Tianyi Zhang of WSP said.

Courtney Boyle, owner of the Environmental Collaborative of Ohio, the community-engagement lead for WSP, noted that Boardman has a lot fewer vacant parcels than Youngstown, so its needs would differ from those in the city.

Proposals for that section included a grocery store — especially for those who would otherwise have to transfer to reach such businesses on U.S. Route 224. Also, Center Intermediate School could be relocated, which would open that parcel to development, Boyle said.

Also in the planning stages are trails that would connect Mill Creek and Boardman parks, she added.

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