Warren developer unveils second downtown project in a week

Staff report

WARREN

For the second time this week, developer Mark Marvin of Downtown Development Group unveiled a project considered a game changer for the city’s future.

He and officials from the city and Western Reserve Port Authority on Thursday welcomed visitors to the former SCOPE senior citizens building on West Market Street, just across the Mahoning River from the courthouse.

Marvin said the property will be developed into a winery that can take advantage of the interesting views of the river, Courthouse Square and amphitheater on the opposite side of the river.

On Tuesday, he provided a first glimpse for many people of the Robins Theatre he recently purchased and plans to turn into an entertainment venue.

Marvin said he first walked through the SCOPE building a year ago and loved the views.

“We feel this will be a destination for years to come,” Marvin said. “It’s a fantastic setting, and it’s one of the few cities I know of that has a riverfront that really hasn’t been taken advantage of. The amphitheater started that, and now we’re going to push it forward one more step by creating a winery and a restaurant at this location with an outdoor patio that will blow everybody away once it’s finished.”

The port authority assisted the city in selling the property to Marvin. The authority will own it for just a few days, but it’s involvement allowed the authority to use certain economic-development tools the city cannot use, said Anthony Trevena, director of the authority’s economic-development arm, called the Northeast Ohio Development and Finance Authority.

Warren Mayor Doug Franklin said Marvin is bringing “investment, excitement and momentum back to downtown.”