The site of a proposed downtown hotel will swallow up Breeze Point Landing at the base of Liberty St. in downtown Warren.Officials discussed progress in the project during Wednesday's Redevelopment Authority meeting. Photo by Josh Cotton

The City of Warren and an adjacent property owner are working on an agreement with the Redevelopment Authority that would result in the development of a downtown hotel.

The scenario discussed on Wednesday would result in the elimination of Breeze Point Landing as a public park in order to create a parcel large enough for the hotel.

A Cobblestone Inn and Suites remains the end goal as it has been for some time.

“The city is willing to donate the Breeze Point property,” City Manager Nancy Freenock said. “I love that park. The problem is, it’s not used.”

She said if the city keeps it that the pavilion needs replaced and concrete and restroom work are also needed.

“Council is of the opinion at this point that the land is more valuable as a hotel than a park,” she said.

Breeze Point on its own isn’t a large enough parcel and Freenock said that the developer who built the townhouses, Bob Yoder, has agreed to donate the adjacent parcel.

“(It’s) just a pad,” she said. “So the RDA could couple that with the Breeze Point property” to create a lot large enough for the hotel and associated parking.

The RDA was going to be asked to consider an agreement of sale but the agreement isn’t quite ready yet.

There is a timeliness issue at play here, though.

Freenock explained that the city received a $2.5 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant and the “city is going to be sub-granting that to the hotel developer” who is matching that with an additional $2.5 million.

She said a final business plan has to be submitted to the state by November.

With some additional survey and engineering work to be completed, Freenock said she needs to be sure the RDA would act as the conduit for the property transfer.

She said the hotel would include 59 rooms and a small conference center and noted that the concrete walkway will remain as well as the retaining wall by the Allegheny River. It would also bring 16 jobs.

RDA Secretary Marty McQuillan said a hotel would be a “significant addition” to the tax base but Freenock cautioned that the city has a LERTA and that there will be some “tax forgiveness” on this project.

Melinda Saunders, a new member of the RDA, acknowledged that the park is an “excellent walk” but also said that a hotel on the river is “what people would want” and what the developer would want.

Wendy McCain, also a new RDA member, suggested repurposing an existing in the downtown versus new construction that “doesn’t really fit with our town.”

She suggested she’s heard people discussing such possibilities.

“We don’t have the money to do it,” Freenock said. “We’re being driven by the developer.”

Chairman Michael Boyd said the RDA would table action on the sales agreement and encouraged McCain to have anyone interested touch base with Freenock.