It’s amazing the effort it takes to acquire less than an acre of land.

It’s taken Warren three attempts to receive state grants to help purchase two pieces of land — a 0.51 acres along the Allegheny River behind the building where Bent Run and Allegheny Outfitters are located and 0.19 acres along Breeze Point Circle and Liberty Street in Warren — for a multi-use trail, river access and parking.

The payoff, in our opinion, could be worth the effort getting the grant money.

The area running along the Allegheny River is envisioned as a scenic walking trail toward a desired pedestrian bridge across the Conewango Creek to the Point Park, CAR Pool, YMCA and War Memorial Field. The second parcel adjacent to the townhouses is envisioned to provide additional parking to support the boat launch and other elements of the riverfront project.

We’re talking about a relatively small area of land, but it’s key to bigger plans to unlock the city’s waterfront and create new ways to get from the water to downtown amenities. It’s a positive step that state officials realized the parcels’ importance to the city’s development efforts and helped provide money to prepare the site for its new use.