Warren council forms town‑center action committee to revive long‑running project

The Warren City Council on Tuesday voted to establish a Town Center Development Action Committee to accelerate planning and feasibility work on a long‑discussed downtown/town‑center project.

Councilwoman Mindy Moore, a member of the existing steering committee, told the council the project has been discussed for 18 years and that updated, focused feasibility studies are needed to evaluate housing, hotel and retail components. Moore proposed inviting the city’s DDA director, Mr. Bommarito, to partner with the new action committee and to consider amending Plant Moran’s consulting contract and a budget amendment to fund updated studies.

“My motion is to establish the town center development action committee to get the town center project back on track,” Moore said. The motion was supported by Councilman Jonathan Lafferty and carried on a unanimous vote.

Moore said earlier town‑hall meetings had posed open‑ended questions without guidance on feasibility and that the committee would “fast track the next steps” and return recommendations to the DDA and council. Council members on the steering committee said they want focused, timely work: “With just 2 and a half years left in this term, we must act decisively,” Moore said.

The council did not authorize specific expenditures at the meeting. The committee’s next steps, as described by Moore, include meeting with the DDA director, obtaining updated feasibility work from consultants (Plant Moran was named) and returning with contract amendment and budget proposal for council consideration.

The vote to form the committee was unanimous. The action committee will report to the council with specific recommendations before any contract amendments or budget appropriations are authorized.