Youngstown Zoning Committee to discuss potential business license mandate for city businesses
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Youngstown Zoning Committee will be meeting on Thursday to discuss the potential requirement for business licenses for businesses coming into the city.
Youngstown Third Ward Councilwoman Samantha Turner tells 21 News as it stands, if you start a business anywhere in the city aside from the downtown district, the historic district or the forum district, you don't have to notify the city. But creating a process that involves both the owners and the city, could make the new businesses a better fit for the community.
"We can talk about, if you're building a building, for example, this is what we'd like to see off the street. This is the aesthetic for the community and the neighborhood around it. So, we want to make those changes that are more cohesive to the growth and the future of Youngstown," said Turner.
Second Ward Councilman Jimmy Hughes says not requiring businesses to talk to the city has created some problems for certain businesses in the city.
Hughes tells us the requirement of business licenses could be a potential solution to solve the problem recently addressed at city meetings involving the influx of dollar stores, car lots and gas stations in the city.
In particular, certain businesses such as one on Wilson Avenue have caused concern amongst city officials with the Ohio EPA getting involved.
Turner said this also could help solve problems between the community and business before they come to the area. One example she mentioned is the situation between SOBE Thermal Energy Systems and the city.
"SOBE coming in, knowing what they want to do in advance. Maybe we could have wanted to have stopped some things in the past or have a better, clearer conversation from the beginning before we got into a space where we are now," said Tuner.
Hughes tells us the goal of requiring a business license is to make sure the right kinds of businesses are coming into the city and operating safely and correctly to prevent future cases like this one and give the city more of a say on what kinds of businesses can come in.
The Zoning Committee will meet at 11:30 a.m. Thursday to discuss this matter.
