Two “catalytic recommendations” have been developed through the City of Warren’s comprehensive planning process.

The plan was a topic of conversation during Wednesday’s city Planning Commission meeting.

Denny Puko, a consultant on the project, presented those recommendations derived from all the public feedback received in recent months as part of the effort. The first is “some kind of single source of help” where people can go for information on how to undertake community projects or start a business.

“This notion of having some kind of central source that takes on this role of being the go-to place,” Puko said.

The second recommendation focused on how to “provide mode quality-of-life amenities” to support entrepreneurism, targeted areas for reinvestment, the downtown, parks as well as pedestrian safety.

“We have heard a lot of consistent messages,” Puko said. “We’re going to turn that into specific recommendations” accompanied with steps for implementation.

He also reviewed the feedback received from about 50 people in a public meeting last month.

“The one single item that had the most support is the mixed-use development recreation hub on the river,” Puko said. “That one had by far the largest support.”

He talked more broadly about the situation the city faces.

“I think the thing that’s interesting about Warren, we talked to business people. Jobs are fine here…. What we lack is people; people to stop at our businesses (and) work in our industries.”

The quality-of-life amenities were “something people keep coming back to… finding ways to sustain what is valuable about Warren, add to it, market it.”

He stressed that the city is a “community of enviable assets” from its net employment hub to outdoor recreation, quality of life a “real downtown that offers business opportunities and rich experiences.”

Puko said those factors “can’t be taken for granted.” He said maintaining historic homes and the river requires “stewardship” and “reinvestment.”

“That’s what we think that the community has said to us… to this point,” he said.

“I think there are a lot of people here that take our natural resources for granted,” Commission chair Angie Dart said, calling it “great” how the planning process “brought the community together” in a positive way.

Commission member Mike Suppa said the two recommendations “seem to go down the same river.”

Mixed-use development, he said, “brings people in here and puts more eyes on Warren. To me, two promotes one and they kind of run hand in hand.”

Dart raised the concern that the community may struggle with the single organization concept given past experiences.

Puko said the target is to have a draft of the plan completed by August or September.