A group of fourth and fifth year students from Penn State’s Architectural Engineering program are working through a semester-long project aimed at downtown development in Warren.

The students were in town for the first time last month and back this week for a Thursday session at Bent Run Brewing and then a Friday presentation at Innovault Coworking.

Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry President/CEO Jim Decker said the project came via Harry Chrissy with the PSU Cooperative Extension.

The class was looking for a study case for urban planning and design.

Insert Warren.

“We have a cohort of 12 4th and 5th year students working in teams of 3 who will be developing their visions of how we might redevelop our downtown in terms of facade plans, adaptive utilization of vacant properties, business mix and riverfront development concepts,” Decker said.

A consistent theme in the projects is connecting the city, county and residents more acutely to the riverfront.

The first proposal presented Friday focused on “more generational interactions” and turning the riverfront into a destination.

It includes renovation of Tops and the markets at the base of Market St. and space for a year-round Farmers Market as well as concert space and a community recreation center along the riverfront.

The second proposal focused on living, relaxing, shopping and playing in the downtown, using zoning to ensure those uses in certain spaces.

It includes an oft-discussed option – a pedestrian bridge from downtown over the Conewango Creek to Point Park and emphasizes bike traffic on East St. and Liberty St.

Discussion here also included transforming the Blair building into a hotel that’s “not like your regular Holiday Inn.”

The third proposal centered on highlighting the city’s historic district to capture tourism, identifying key historical structures.

This group proposed a riverwalk trail as well as boat mooring points along the river.

The final project to present also included an idea that’s been floated recently – a path connecting the railroad trestles in town.

More green space in the downtown was also highlighted.

“Big Blue” – the Clark St. Parking Garage – doesn’t get favorable treatment in any of the projects.

Nearly all of the proposals would reclaim the space currently occupied by the Clark St. Parking Garage for various uses such as a market or housing.

Decker said these sessions allow local officials to get a look at the work and “provide them feedback on what fits with our thoughts and feelings regarding community ‘feel’ and heritage.

“From the input received this week they will adjust and refine their work and return again in early-mid December with final project details.”

Dec. 7 is the date currently scheduled for those presentations.

Students in the group hail from places as year as Pittsburgh and as far as Long Island, N.Y., and Seattle, Wash.

Sure, these are student proposals. And funding is already an issue. But it’s the perspective that brings value.

“This comes at no cost to us and provides us fresh perspectives from not only trained, budding architects but also from an age-cohort that is really important for our community to provide for,” Decker said.