Photo submitted to the Times Observer Opposition to the hotel expressed in a protest last year is set to culminate in a vote next week at Monday’s Warren City Council that will bring the project to a halt.

Warren City Council in a meeting next week is expected to put the brakes to the development of a downtown hotel.

Mayor Maurice Cashman told the Times Observer that he’s spoken with two councilmembers that “want to put a stop” to the proposed development at the “downtown site.”

It’s unclear at this point what the motion will be — neither Cashman or John Wortman, council’s vice-president were sure what the action would look like.

But the effect of the action will be to stop the riverfront development city staff have been working on for several years.

“I believe that will be true,” Cashman said. “I believe the votes will be there.

“I think that is going to pass.”

“I just think the project proposed right now can’t be considered on its merit,” Wortman added, citing too many “unanswered questions.”

See HOTEL / A-3

Wortman said some of those questions include harm to businesses in the area as well as the direction the community has for development in that area.

Cashman has shepherded council through two very controversial items — the parking wars that resulted in the meters as well as the roundabout decision for the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave. and Market St.

“Now this has even topped all of that,” he said.

Staff have been working with a developer out of St. Marys for three years on a proposal that would have brought a Cobblestone Inn & Suites to the riverfront at the expense of Breeze Point Landing.

It’s only in the last six months that the project has generated a strong negative reaction from multiple sectors of the community including the Warren County Chamber of Business & Industry.

The WCCBI, as a result, is coordinating a “Trestle to Trestle Task Force.”

The area that will be the focus of the group is bounded east to west by the railroad trestles that cross the Allegheny River. Crescent Park will be the southern boundary with Pennsylvania Ave. the northern limit.

“The mission of the Taskforce will be to develop an inventory of all properties lying within this footprint for current usage, vacancy, availability, etc.,” WCCBI President Jim Decker previously told the Times Observer. “Also, a prioritized list of redevelopment needs will be established which considers what new businesses are required/desired within the community and where within the footprint would that new business best be located.”