A federal grant application aimed at redeveloping Warren’s downtown riverfront has not been funded.

City Manager Nancy Freenock said in a letter to Warren City Council and staff that the city would not be awarded a 2020 federal BUILD grant.

“Erie received $21 million with (PennDOT) being the applicant,” she said. “This was the only rural Pennsylvania project to receive funding.”

She added that she’s “very disappointed (but) we’ll keep on looking for money to rehabilitate the area.”

The city had expended about $4,000 for assistance in completing the application; but that isn’t a sunk cost as the bones of this application can be used for applications in future years.

City officials noted in the grant application that the riverfront “has seen some redevelopment activity… however, it has not been redeveloped to its full potential.”

“One purpose of the project,” the application explained, “is to reconfigure the roadways in the riverfront area to form a parcel large enough for a hotel with adjacent parking” and argue that “easy ingress and egress to the entire riverfront area will further enhance the ongoing redevelopment” happening in that area.

“Development of the Warren Riverfront would provide such anchor attractions and will draw people to the City,” they argued.

“Warren’s economic development strategy recognizes that there is a gap in tourism amenities on the western side of the state. The investment in infrastructure will lay the foundation to build” on Warren’s proximity to the Allegheny National Forest, water trails and parks and playgrounds “thus diversifying the local economy.”