The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber has established a 24-member Housing Council to address housing challenges in the Mahoning Valley, officials announced Tuesday.

The council, formed to align with the Mahoning Valley Regional Housing Strategy released in January, will focus on improving the quality, accessibility and attainability of local housing, according to Brenda Linert, the chamber’s director of community impact.

“Not only is the cost of homes rising, but so too are taxes, including property taxes, both of which are creating huge challenges for homeownership,” Linert said. “We also need to build our neighborhoods back up, so we need to find ways to improve the quality of existing homes, develop new units and make it easier to attain housing for a growing local workforce.”

The regional housing strategy outlines recommendations for stabilizing and strengthening the area’s housing market through collaboration among economic development agencies, governments, nonprofits, the private sector and other stakeholders.

The council will focus on improving existing housing stock, developing new residential spaces and leveraging available resources.

Linert recently attended the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s third annual Housing Summit at the Ohio Statehouse on Feb. 20. The one-day conference addressed housing supply, accessibility and affordability, with discussions on topics including housing and tourism, national housing trends, creating a “Yes In My Backyard” (YIMBY) movement in Ohio, and legislative and policy issues.

Council members include:

  • Jason Altobelli, Realtor, Altobelli Real Estate
  • Ian Beniston, Executive Director, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation
  • Krista Beniston, Planning Manager, Western Reserve Port Authority
  • Floyd E. Cline II, Commercial Mortgage Loan Officer, Huntington National Bank
  • John Demmler, President & CEO, 717 Credit Union
  • Tony DiTommaso, Senior Representative, Carpenters Local 171
  • Gregory Ensley, Vice President, Commercial Banking Team Leader, Farmers National Bank
  • Lena Esmail, Owner & CEO, QuickMed
  • Tricia Ferry Frate, Executive Vice President, VEC, Inc.
  • Debora Flora, Executive Director, Mahoning County Land Reutilization Corp.
  • Roberta Hiller, CEO, Youngstown Columbiana Association of Realtors
  • Tricia Howe, Executive Officer, Home Builders & Remodelers Association of the Valley
  • Ryan Kelly, CEO, Pantheon
  • Joseph Koch Jr., Vice President, Koch Construction
  • Mark Lamoncha, President & CEO, Humtown Products
  • Erik Liber, Owner, HSH Drywall
  • Jeff Magada, Executive Director, Flying High
  • Kareem Maine, Plant Director, Ultium Cells
  • Matt Martin, Executive Director, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership
  • Moshood Martins, Business Owner & Investor
  • John Masternick, President, Windsor House
  • Justin Mondok, Director of Planning & Development, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments
  • Doug Rende, President & CEO, Shapes Unlimited
  • Don Thomas, President, Platz Realty
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