YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s design review committee recommended the approval of a $20,000 facade grant to the owners of the downtown Ohio One Building, who are planning to make $68,400 in improvements.

The committee on Tuesday recommended the grant to Ohio One Group LLC, which purchased the building at 25 E. Boardman St. for $450,000 on July 28.

The $64,800 in improvement work includes masonry and metal restoration, window and door framing, signage, the restoration of bronze light fixtures and the Ohio One Building sign with the original 1930s typography, as well as drainage work.

Ryan Kelly, one of the building’s co-owners, said the work recently started and should be finished by early spring.

“We’re restoring components to the building, which has great historic significance,” Kelly said. “It’s a restoration. It’s important that we don’t change the building to lose its history.”

The six-story, 95-year-old building was initially the headquarters for Ohio Edison. The Mills family, which owned several downtown buildings, purchased the building in 1975 and then sold it last year to a group that includes Kelly.

The 54,000-square-foot building has a 70% occupancy rate, Kelly said.

In about two months, the building plans to open a business professionals membership club to provide space for business professionals to meet socially as well as use space for small conferences, in-person meetings and Zoom meetings, Kelly said.

With the Ohio One project, the city’s design review committee has authorized 62 businesses to receive grants from the facade grant program.

City council in December 2022 approved setting aside $1 million of Youngstown’s $82.7 million in American Rescue Plan funds for the business facade program. It allows eligible companies to receive 50% of the cost, up to $20,000 each, to help pay for the cost of exterior improvements.

In order to get the grants, companies have to obtain permission from the design review committee. Companies must show they are paying at least half of the cost of the work being done.

The facade grants are forgivable loans with a five-year term. Every year a business remains open at their location in the city, 20% of the loan is forgiven until it reaches 100% in five years.