We collaborated with Rusnov Realty LLC to develop a comprehensive Master Plan for the Smoky Hollow District in Youngstown, OH. Immediately adjacent to Wick Ave. with the city’s library, museums, and legacy churches, Smoky Hollow was a residential district for working class families that worked in the factories to the east. Now largely vacant, WNI had worked with another architectural firm to develop a conceptual master plan for retail, office and residential development. This conceptual plan did not, however, reflect the extreme grade changes between Smoky Hollow and Wick Ave.
Our master plan integrated retail as a connected mass so it could respond to market demands since the site is invisible to passing motorists. Student housing was integrated in a number of locations with range of student and market housing to begin to replace the aging YSU dormitories that no longer meet the needs of today’s students. After selecting another developer who did nothing in four years, WNI and the City have returned to Rusnov Realty and our team for discussions regarding how to proceed, given the change in the economy and housing markets.