Riverfront closer to construction, unveiling planned
Trending
A long-planned effort to transform Warren's riverfront into a destination for recreation, tourism and downtown commerce is moving closer to reality, with city officials and project partners preparing to unveil more details to the community next week.
A public meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at Breeze Landing Point on the riverfront. In the event of rain, the meeting will be held in the Slater Room at the Warren Public Library.
The riverfront project, which has been in development for several months, is the result of a collaboration involving the City of Warren, Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry (WCCBI), Warren Worx, city boards and commissions as well as members of the public.
Mayor David Wortman said the riverfront has been a priority since the city formally adopted its comprehensive plan in 2023, stating that the riverfront was seen as a target for the public.
The work to get the project to its current stage has involved considerably more than developing a concept.
Wortman said the city and its partners have spent significant time acquiring properties, securing funding and navigating the permitting process.
"Simple things, but not necessarily easy things to do, like gaining control and taking ownership, purchasing all the properties that are involved with getting the footprint, so that we can actually do this project," he said.
The project has received assistance through state grants, including funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Department of Community and Economic Development.
The permitting process has involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
"All those things take a lot of time and effort," Wortman said. "And I'm happy to say it's 100% permitted, so it's ready to go in that regard."
The scope of the project goes well beyond the area immediately surrounding the existing riverfront.
David Sobina of Larson-Karkle Architects, said the concept stretches from the Hickory Street Bridge to the confluence of the Allegheny and Conewango rivers, with the larger vision eventually connecting the riverfront to Point Park and Crescent Park.
The project is intended to provide something Warren currently lacks, easy public access to the river from downtown.
The project could eventually provide several access points to the water.
"By the time this project's done, you have one, two, three, maybe four access points to that river, so that we can bring the river traffic into downtown," Sobina said.
The project includes walking and biking trails, restrooms, picnic tables, pavilions, benches, playground equipment and kayak and canoe storage.
A permitted boat launch is also included. Sobina said the launch has been designed to accommodate ADA-accessible kayak access as well as boat traffic.
The riverfront could become an important piece of Warren's economic development strategy by encouraging people who already use the Allegheny and Conewango rivers to spend time in the downtown business district.
"It's an opportunity to catch the dollars that are literally floating by," Sobina said.
Previous tourism research conducted as part of an earlier Build Back Better grant effort examined the number of kayaks traveling the river and the potential economic impact of bringing those visitors into Warren.
The project team heard estimates of thousands of boats passing through the area each year.
Wortman said the opportunity to connect that river traffic with downtown businesses is significant.
"It's a compelling case in terms of the opportunity to do exactly that," he said. "To use that as an economic development engine for continuing to build out other businesses in the downtown," he said.
The project is also intended to make the downtown experience better for people who already live in Warren.
"We have a great core of downtown businesses," Wortman said. "They're very innovative. Everything from Music in the Park to the First Fridays, to the farmers market. This all is an effort to really enhance that experience."
The riverfront plans build on improvements already made downtown, including the streetscape project and the growing popularity of outdoor events.
The riverfront could provide another opportunity to create places for people to gather.
"We're now giving them the opportunity to find more uses in the downtown and in gathering spaces than they have now," said Sobina.
One of the early phases of the project would focus on improvements to Soldiers and Sailors Park.
Hank Lemeur of the WCCBI and Warren Worx, said the plans call for changes that could improve the experience for performers and audiences while potentially expanding programming.
"One of the first early phases is also the revitalization of Soldiers and Sailors Park to allow the artists to perform in all weather, and also to increase the seating," he said.
Lemeur pointed to the popularity of Music in the Park as an example of the demand for gathering spaces.
Community feedback has also heavily influenced design.
A public survey conducted at the beginning of 2026 gathered opinions about what residents wanted to see incorporated into the riverfront.
Sobina said the responses were reviewed and organized into categories to determine which ideas could be incorporated into the design.
The resulting concept includes amenities intended for a wide range of users, from children and families to people looking for more active recreation.
Lemeur said the goal is to create a space that can appeal to multiple generations.
"How can we make this active for multi-generational people, for the kids, for the active people, for the people that may be a little older, so maybe not quite so active, but still want to be there," he said. "That's the intention here."
Officials repeatedly emphasized that the project would not be possible through the efforts of the city alone.
Lemeur said Warren Works and WCCBI are working with local businesses and organizations, including Allegheny Outfitters, Bent Run and Goat Fort Climbing, to help build activity around the riverfront.
"It definitely has to be a public-private partnership," Lemeur said.
He credited the city with leading the management of the project while emphasizing the role of private investment in helping secure additional public funding.
"The private money is needed to help pry loose some of the public money, both at the federal level through the Appalachian Regional Commission as well as through the state," he said.
Wortman echoed this point.
"The public-private partnership aspect of the project and bringing so many different interests and entities together is really what makes the idea and the concept work," he said.
Will Bunk of the WCCBI and the Parks, Recreation and Landscaping Commission, said one of the project’s biggest benefits could be making the river accessible directly from downtown.
"They'll be able to easily launch from here to go downriver. They'll be able to end their trip here," Bunk said. "It's kind of been a tough thing to do in the past, so this should really allow people to engage the riverfront directly from downtown Warren."
The project represents an opportunity to capitalize on one of Warren's greatest natural assets. The Allegheny and Conewango rivers have received recognition as Pennsylvania River of the Year multiple times.
The Sept. 10 public meeting will provide residents with a closer look at the developing plans and an opportunity to offer additional feedback.
"We want to share that progress with the residents because I think it's such a hugely important project that could be, and we expect it to be, transformative for the city of Warren in the downtown area," Wortman said.
Organizers are encouraging residents to attend and participate.