News & Events

Steubenville – Lou Stein of Valley Ventures came Thursday bearing ideas and his personal enthusiasm for the revitalization of downtown Steubenville.

 

He found a group of business owners and property owners filled with passion and questions regarding Stein’s proposal to create a three-year comprehensive master plan he said will bring new businesses to the downtown neighborhood.

 

And Stein also found participants with checkbooks in hand; ready to contribute to a plan to turn around the city’s central business district.

 

“I am looking at a three-year timeline that will be updated after the first and second year. My plan will include a history and review of the cultural areas of Steubenville and we will decide what history we need to bring back in the future plans of the new downtown,” Stein told approximately 30 people in attendance.

 

“I will analyze the vacant properties as well as the existing businesses and housing availability. I will compile a photographic data base of every building downtown and obtain the critical information on each building. And I will put together an extensive potential tenant list that will include retail, services, entertainment, museums, co-ops and other potential uses for the downtown business district,” Stein declared.

 

“At the same time, I will make sure any development will compliment what is already here. You don’t want to put the wrong business in the wrong area,” said Stein.

 

“I have created thousands of jobs and brought hundreds of millions of dollars into other areas of the Ohio Valley. I have a strong record of success,” cited Stein.

 

He made his comments as a prelude to a request for financial contributions from the group to help fund the writing of the Master Plan.

 

Rob Gribben, president of the Steubenville Revitalization Group, said “a contract will be signed with Lou Stein in the next several days to start work on the master plan. But we still need additional funds to pay him for the entire project.”

 

“We have three sky-scrapers in the downtown. We are a block or two off of State Route 7. We are a half-hour drive from Pittsburgh and we are the county seat. We have a beautiful Third Street and Fifth Street is looking better. There is a great potential in the downtown and we just need some new occupants in the buildings,” stated Jerry Barilla, a downtown business owner and vice president of the revitalization group.

 

And Ken Perkins, a local financial planner, said downtown Steubenville has a strong resemblance to Pittsburgh’s south side.

 

“They are identical in many ways and we can be just as successful. There is a great opportunity for our downtown, and I don’t see any reason why the downtown can’t come back,” said Perkins.

 

Michael Beraducci, owner of DiNova Chrysler-dodge on Third Street, said his family-owned business has been in operation on North Third Street for the past 91 years.

 

“We have worked to keep and make our area of Third Street look good. But I would like to know how many phone calls you have had from potential tenants interested in locating their business in the downtown,” Beraducuci asked Stein.

 

“I get a lot of phone calls every day. Probably two or so are interested right now in downtown Steubenville. But I want to work with the existing business owners and potential business owners of the future and bring everyone together,” Stein replied.

 

“The assets of downtown Steubenville are tremendous. There are other cities who would like to have the glorious buildings you have here. I want to make Steubenville a lifestyle center. If you know of someone interested in starting a business, please direct them to me so I can help them get started,” Stein said.

 

State Sen. Jason Wilson, D-Columbiana, said his family conducted its own revitalization work at their 110-year-old family-owned business in downtown Bridgeport, “after the city failed to support organized revitalization campaigns.”

 

Wilson also urged the revitalization group members to support Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration plan for Build Ohio Jobs and “and take advantage of state programs that can assist businesses.”

 

“We need to make the master plan happen,” said group member Susan Probert.

 

“We have been working for the past 18 months to make Steubenville work again. We now have a man here who can design a plan to bring the downtown back, not what it was but in a new way,” Probert stated.