YOUNGSTOWN - New life could be coming to Youngstown’s long-vacant former Chill-Can site.

Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown said the property will likely be turned into an East Side Industrial Park, with the goal of bringing jobs and revenue back to the city.

Some neighbors, however, are split on what the development means for their community.

The site, which includes three buildings valued at more than $2 million, has sat idle for years.

Brown said now that the property is back in the city’s hands, his vision is clear.

“My vision is to see that place back into productive use," he said, "I envision it being a small industrial park where we can get multiple businesses in there for annual revenue, but also putting it back where we got jobs, people working and help grow our economy."

The mayor said numerous businesses could expand there, or one company could take the entire space.

“We have a lot of local businesses that want to expand," he added, "and this may be an opportunity for them to expand and stay here for multiple years."

Some residents who live near the property are concerned about the impact.

“Will it upset the neighborhood? Will it kill the peace and quiet that we have?" said Elsie Rounds, who has lived nearby her whole life,"And how much traffic is going to be coming through here?” 

Other neighbors welcome the change and are glad to see something happening with the site. 

“I’m glad he’s going to use it instead of being vacant all the time," Larry Watson said, "I wouldn’t even mind if it was a giant flea market or something, you know, but something’s better than nothing." 

Two city council members said the property is already equipped for potential business use.

“It’d definitely be an increase in traffic, but it’s also an increase in tax dollars, an increase in people with eyes on Youngstown, with the possibility of more industry moving into that area,” said First Ward Councilman Julius Oliver, who also suggested a co-op grocery store could serve the community, "What we would look for is someone like an Amazon or a TJX to come in and set up shop for distribution or factories, just to be able to make it a site that is labor ready."

Oliver and the Mayor pointed out that one building's already outfitted and has bathrooms, locker rooms, offices and a concrete floor. Two of the three buildings will need more work. 

Councilwoman Anita Davis also voiced her support.

“If you want jobs and so forth, something has to be done,” Davis said, "Something has to be done to change that environment. So I'm glad to see it go forward."

The mayor would not commit to a timeline, but said he is cautiously optimistic.

“It might be one building at a time. So I don’t want to speculate about, you know, assurances," he said, "As mayor of the city of Youngstown, I want to make sure we put that in productive use."

The next steps, according to the mayor, are bringing in a commercial broker and realtor to market the property to potential investors, as well as having discussions with the city's economic development and law departments.

"We're going to do our due diligence and our best to make sure that everything that's there is above board," Brown said, "I want to make sure that they benefit the city citizens of Youngstown."