| I combined this small Youngstown neighborhood on its southern border with the Forest Glen historic district and portion of Boardman north of Shields Rd/Indianola Rd as they tie into one another well with a shared commercial district along Market Street. The other reason being that Pleasant Grove is too small to evaluate on its own and I wanted to include most of Boardman’s pre-WWII development. Boundaries used here Euclid/Grover Dr to the east, Midlothian Blvd to the north, Mill Creek to the west, and Mill Creek Dr. and Shields Rd/Indianola Rd to the south. Pleasant Grove is a “pleasant” 1920s-1940s neighborhood with suburban like density but decent connectivity and nice historic homes. Commercial districts along Market and Midlothian Blvd are pretty auto centric but at least still have sidewalks. The Forest Glen Historic District in North Boardman hosts an excellent array of 1920s-1950s mansions and modest homes set curvilinear forested streets. Very pretty. The main area for improvement in the neighborhood is retrofitting Market Street into an urban commercial district. This is at least possible with the neighborhood’s connectivity and grid but given the economics of Youngstown, I don’t anticipate this happening anytime soon. |
URBAN STRENGTHS:
| * Great economic and generational diversity. * For sale housing is pretty cheap but some decent diversity. Product ranging anyway from 25K-240K. Most housing selling between 50K-100K. The majority of homes selling over 100K is in the Forest Glen Historic District. * Mill Creek Metro Park provides a great park amenity for along the western edge of this district with extensive trails, bike paths, golf courses, meadows, and pavilion space. * Great tree canopy especially in the Forest Glen section of the neighborhood. Only a couple modest parks outside of Mill Creek Park. * Generally a safe neighborhood besides some blight along Market St. * Sidewalk infrastructure generally pretty good. Some missing sidewalks on the newer streets. Curbs are rarely ADA compliant though. * Great 1920s-1950s historic architecture especially in the Forest Glen Historic District. |
URBAN WEAKNESSES:
| * Public transit access is fair. Bike infrastructure limited to a dedicated trail along Mill Creek Park. * Racial diversity is pretty limited. * Rental product limited to only a couple single family homes. * Cultural amenities limited to a handful of restaurants and bars. * Retail amenities better but generally auto centric. Include a couple drug stores, a family dollar, Middle Eastern grocery store, a couple banks, antiques & boutiques, a florist, salons, and a public library. * Some good schools including Valley Christian School and several private and public elementary schools nearby. * Modern in fill pretty much limited to strip malls. |
Evaluating our Urban Communities [with a focus on America] 