YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s design review committee gave Valley Food Systems 30 days to come up with an alternative to the concrete barriers that surround the perimeter of its parking lot.

The committee voted Tuesday to deny a request from the company to keep the barriers in place and said Valley Food had 30 days to remove them.

This isn’t the first time the committee rejected a request from the company regarding its parking lot. On Feb. 2, 2021, the committee declined to approve Valley Food’s request to erect a 360-linear-foot chain link fence with barbed wire on the top to prevent theft of vehicle parts and other items.

Valley Food dropped the request and recently put up the concrete barriers.

Linda Giambattista, Valley Food’s chief operations officer, said the barriers were erected at the 461 E. Federal St. location’s parking lot because customers from a nearby bar use it for parking without permission and truckers use it as a “rest stop, like a sleeping spot. So we found it necessary to do this.”

Giambattista added: “We do a lot of government business with Defense Logistics Agency, and it is in our contract that because of the amount of money that is in this building that’s stored until it’s shipped that they require us to actually block off our parking so that they’re protecting their product that’s inside the building.”

The barriers cost about $10,000 to erect, Giambattista said.

The food manufacturing company, which uses an advanced thermal processing method for shelf-stable, ready-made meals, works with DLA and the National Guard as well as private companies.

The concrete barriers were put up because they are “aesthetically pleasing to everybody so it wasn’t like an eyesore,” Giambattista said.

But Jay Crafton, a committee member, said the barriers are an “eyesore.”

Charles Shasho, a committee member and the city’s deputy director of public works, agreed and added: “There was no permission sought to put that up. You didn’t try to get a zoning permit.”

Nick Chretien, a committee member, said Valley Food never followed up with the committee after the Feb. 2, 2021, meeting when a vote was tabled on the chain-link fence with barbed wire.

Chretien said of the concrete barriers: “From a visual perspective, this doesn’t comply with the committee’s guidelines.”

Giambattista said the business doesn’t “want to cause any problems” as it’s been in the city for almost 65 years.

As for suggestions from committee members about putting up signs not to park in the lot, Giambattista said that’s been done and the signs are ignored.

The board agreed to give Valley Food 30 days to come up with an alternative because the concrete barriers cannot stay.

The committee next meets Aug. 4.

OTHER BUSINESS

The committee recommended a $7,854 facade grant for Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., which is repairing a limestone flagpole base and adjacent concrete steps damaged a few years ago when a motorist drove up the stairs and into the pole.

The total cost of the project is $15,708.

With this project, the city’s design review committee has authorized 65 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 its location in the city, 20% of the loan is forgiven until it reaches 100% in five years.

The committee also approved a request Tuesday from the Youngstown Business Incubator for a roof replacement and other exterior improvements to the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense, a $62.2 million project at 107 Vindicator Square, the former Vindicator production building.

Plans are to have space for businesses at the building in the first half of 2027 and for the project to be finished by 2029.

When the hub is fully operational, it is expected to have 350 employees working at the building.

The committee also approved exterior improvements to B-Side, a bar planned for 218 W. Rayen Ave., a long-closed building.

Hadi A. Hadi is planning to open the business and is also working to open Pogo’s Pub next door at 214 W. Rayen Ave., which has also been closed for years. The committee approved the facade work for Pogo’s at its June 2 meeting.

Hadi owns the Bull & Bear Neighborhood Grille and Tavern, which opened in August 2024 at 318 Elm St.