REVITALIZATION WRAP plans forum to gain public input

The Cleveland group will present its ideas Sept. 20.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- People interested in the future of downtown will have a chance to offer their input next month.
Warren Redevelopment and Planning has organized a forum Sept. 18 at the Comfort Inn on Park Avenue. The Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio, Cleveland, will facilitate.
"It's an organization of architects and planners and they'll work with teams in the daylong forum on issued related to downtown development," said Anthony Iannucci Jr., WRAP director.
The forum is open to the public with invitations sent to stakeholders like business and building owners.
"It's to discuss the ideas for design concepts," Iannucci said.
On Sept. 20, the group will present the information compiled.
"It will be very much on a conceptual level," he said.
Representatives of the Cleveland group will suggest ideas for WRAP to consider in designs for downtown.
Meetings already have been conducted with business and building owners around Courthouse Square with plans to branch out to the remainder of the central business district.
The central business district is bordered by Atlantic and Fulton streets and Tod and Chestnut avenues.
Revitalization
WRAP received $32,500 in city community development block grant money last year to develop a comprehensive plan for the revitalization of downtown.
The first phase was development of a database of downtown buildings, followed by a design phase.
The downtown survey found 260 buildings, 22 of which were vacant; 247 businesses; and 28 vacant storefronts downtown.
With that initial money running low, WRAP is soliciting money from private sources and hoping for an appropriation of community development money for 2005 to finish the work.
"Right now, we're looking at going through the end of 2005," Iannucci said. "There are a number of things left to do."
He listed parking, marketing and development issues as some of those areas.
WRAP also has distributed surveys to employees of downtown businesses, asking what they'd like to see for the area such as the kinds of stores where they would shop if they were downtown.