Andy Close
WARREN, Pa. – When it comes to the riverfront development in the City of Warren, there are a lot of different ideas about what should be done.
One thing everyone can agree on, however, is that it’s an undertaking that is vital to the long-term success of Warren.
“I think this is maybe the most important project that both Warren city and Warren County have undertaken in the last 30 to 40 years,” said Warren City Council Vice President John Wortman. “Warren right now is really at a crossroads both as a county and as a city. We’ve seen, unfortunately, a lot of our larger corporations and companies have lost jobs in recent years.”
To that point, Wortman feels like riverfront development can be a key driver to help revitalize downtown.
“I think Warren, given its abundance of natural resources, could really regrow its tourism sector,” Wortman said. “I think that is something that’s been talked about by both municipal and county officials for decades, but we really haven’t seen a lot of cohesive movement as a group. And I think that’s what’s exciting about what’s going on right now with the riverfront redevelopment project. You have the Chamber, the County Commissioners, and the City that are all really working in the same direction.”
Councilwoman Wendy McCain acknowledges that while much of the development, including the proposed boat launch at the base of Hickory St., may be several years away, there is positive momentum in the right direction.
“That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be things going on to move this forward,” McCain said.
So what exactly does that entail, and what could development in addition to the boat launch look like?
“I think the thing that what we need to do and what hasn’t been probably scoped out yet, and I think we’ll start to spend some time on will be the beautification,” McCain said. “So right now there’s a lot of functionality. And you know, I think we need to also think about the beautification efforts. So you know, that kind of goes along with the look and feel of the riverfront.”
McCain also mentioned something that Warren County Commissioner Jeff Eggleston previously stated, which is a green space for concerts and different events.
“I think we need a green space,” McCain said. “A place where you can have concerts, a place where you could potentially put the Farmer’s Market (which currently is at the Midtown Lot).”
Both Wortman, McCain, and their colleagues on the council, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and the County Commissioners, recognize the importance that development will serve in terms of driving business to the area.
Wortman believes that it needs to be easier for entrepreneurs to put down roots and invest in the city
“I really want to try to develop a program or at least to get it moving,” Wortman said. “I think there needs to be a real discussion between all the major taxing bodies, the county, the municipalities, the school system, and they need to look at what tax incentives or tax advantages could be given for entrepreneurs to invest in turning around some of these businesses within our city.
“I know there are other programs across municipalities in the United States to figure out how can we get entrepreneurs to invest. I feel that we locally need to try to make the business climate as best as we can. And then we really need to push the state legislature and our governor to look at Pennsylvania’s special tax policies.”
McCain pointed out that, while there needs to be continued development, the growth of the area around the riverfront over the past five years has been encouraging.
“Five years ago when this initiative started we were in a very different place than we are today,” McCain said. “We’ve seen a lot of really organic growth with some great businesses there. It really has a great feel. And then downtown we have clothing shops, photography studios, and another brewery, so we have a lot of good, positive momentum. We just, as a council, have to keep looking at the big picture. And you know, what does that flow look like that will allow us to entice people to our downtown.”
