The fourth design for the riverfront was pitched by city officials back in February.

This design shifts activity downstream to the Breeze Point Landing area, and includes a floating dock and boat ramp. The discovery of endangered mussels in the area shifted the plan away from encroaching into the riverbed.

Under the proposal, there will be multiple sets of rock stairs to directly access the river, trailer parking on the current concrete pad adjacent to the townhouses and the traffic flow on Breeze Point Circle will be reversed.

During this week’s Parks, Recreation and Landscape Commission meeting, City Manager Mike Holtz said a recent Trestle to Trestle meeting focused on elements of the project including racks for kayaks and apparatus for kids “to turn it into a storage and activity space.”

Photo from the City of Warren A look at the proposal for the future of Warren’s riverfront that is currently working through the permitting and final design processes.

“We’re working on that, too,” he said.

“We think we are going to go out for bid next spring,” Holtz added, and the ramp “might actually get built next summer.”

He views the boat ramp as the “anchor” piece of improvements to the riverfront.

“The focus is now making sure the boat ramp gets put in,” Holtz said, and “work on the amenities as they come.”

Public comments received in the wake of that February meeting hit on a wide array of issues – parking, impacts to the businesses in the area and the condition of the river in the project area, among others.

The city’s response document outlines three “main goals” for the project – “economic benefits, improve public safety and provide recreational opportunity.”

Concern was expressed that the area, as is, might be over-developed.

“The chosen concept is a refinement of previous versions and has taken into consideration traffic flow patterns for the entire area at the base of Liberty Street to minimize traffic conflicts and congestion,” the city responded. “Consideration will be given to adding a one-way travel lane between the proposed trailer parking and the existing townhouses to accommodate Erie Bank patrons and reduce the traffic in front of the townhouses.”

“The city intends to move forward as expeditiously as possible,” the document states. “Various stakeholder meetings have been held with local business owners to identify and address concerns related to construction activities and staging….

“The city has had several discussions with recreational professionals who rely on the river for their livelihood to collect comments and suggestions. Those professionals who work on the river daily believe the proposed concept is functional.”

One topic that has come up intermittently in the planning process has been whether or not motorized boat access is needed at that location.

One commenter said that fishermen “will not be spenders in the immediate vicinity as the business proprietors there seek.”

The city took exception to that suggestion.

“Claims that fishermen will not patronize local businesses along the riverfront are conjecture,” the response document states. “Excluding motor boats from the access removes any possibility for this user group to visit local businesses even if they wanted to.”

Estimates cited in the document indicate that the cost of motorized and non-motorized options would be “similar.”

One commenter asked about the future of Breeze Point Landing.

“There are no plans to eliminate Breezepoint Park,” the city’s response states. “To the contrary, future phases of the riverfront project envision some sort of play area for children as well as extending the trail further to the east.”

The city also responded to the idea that Point Park might be a better location for this project.

The city calls it “less desirable” citing mussel concerns, frequent flooding and “farther from the downtown business district….”

“The need for access to the river has been included in multiple planning documents prepared by various organizations dating back to at least 2008,” the document states.

City Engineer Chad Yirisic told Warren City Council earlier this month that staff have met with dock providers to determine cost as well as kicked off the steps to obtain required permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

He said that the final design process and permitting could take up to a year.

“I believe (we will) probably start construction in 2025 and go into 2026,” he said.