Vacant Land

There are 13,000 vacant parcels of land in Youngstown. Are they a liability or an asset? A workshop was held at the Butler Institute of American Art that looked at the issue. Youngstown 2010, according to land use expert Joseph Shilling of the National Vacant Properties campaign, has a proper plan in place to deal with vacant land. He says (as does the plan) to shrink the city to fit the number of businesses and residents, and create green space and ‘pocket’ parks. Shilling also says a land bank needs to be put in place. For more information, log onto http://www.vacantproperties.org