WARREN, Ohio – A study will determine the infrastructure improvements needed to prime the southwest side of the city for development.
A feasibility study, funded with a $75,000 federal Economic Development Administration grant and an equal local match, will determine what’s needed to make the area work for the industry already planned as well as to attract more.
Eastgate Regional Council of Governments is lead agent on the grant, and it’s working with Warren and the Trumbull County Engineer’s office to select the consultant.
Mike Keys, Warren’s community development director, said the project will benefit the southwest side of the city. That’s where the former BDM Steel property sits, part of which is slated for a Kimberly Clark warehouse. It’s also the side of town where the West Warren Industrial Park is being developed by Sapientia Ventures LLC, a venture capital group that owns The Business Journal.
“It’s always been difficult because the infrastructure is old – getting the water that you need, the road improvements that you need and everything like that,” Keys explained. “So, basically, what we’re doing with this grant is, it’s a regional concept, similar to the Golden Triangle.”
The Golden Triangle is an industrial area, mostly in Howland, that reaches into the city. It’s been developed over the past several years with infrastructure improvements. The BDM site also straddles multiple political jurisdictions.
Similar to with the Golden Triangle improvements, officials are taking a regional approach to infrastructure improvements expected to be identified in the latest study.
Mark Ragozine, Eastgate economic development administration project manager, said the idea behind the project is enhancing infrastructure in the region.
“How do we sort of streamline and make a lot of these roads more efficient for industrial manufacturing to come in to drum up economic development?” he said.
The selected consultant will perform a capital needs assessment, a connectivity plan and a utility infrastructure plan, as well as suggest a funding strategy. The parties expect to select a consultant and sign a contract soon.
“This plan is going to open up or identify and open up industrial areas, or areas for commercial and industrial development in support of some of those larger projects that are moving forward,” said Gary Shaffer, Trumbull County deputy engineer. “A lot of those access points will come via county roads and bridges …”
That’s how the engineer’s office fits into the project.
Ragozine said one of the elements being considered is how to create a better route from Warren to Lordstown.
It can be tedious for trucks to travel from the city to the village.
“They kind of have to track through the southern part of downtown, and then try to find their way over to 45,” Ragozine said. “So how can we look at some opportunities there to maybe create a new access road route over to Route 45 that would streamline the efficiency of those trucks moving over there so they can get down to the interstate – 76 and 80 – down there in Lordstown.”
The project also aims to prepare sites to attract new investment to the area.
“I think that’s the key,” the Eastgate official said. “We want to try to regrow the area, whether that’s through, obviously through jobs. So you’re drawing folks in that are looking for employment, and then obviously we want to draw those employers. So I think that’s probably the central focus of the why.”
Ragozine said the agencies want to enhance what the area has.
“We want to make everything more business friendly,” he said. “…the [Youngstown/Warren Regional] Chamber talks about this a lot. We want to retain and expand the businesses we have.”
The study will look at industrial and commercial areas. That includes a West Warren industrial route to optimize industrial traffic planning to state Route 5 and Interstate 80. Regarding the former BDM Steel property, it will address industrial traffic, employee access to the downtown economic corridor and the viability of an industrial traffic bridge connection to Route 45, bypassing U.S. Route 422.
Keys said one of the issues with the BDM property is access.
“So one of the issues there we’re going to study is where’s the best place to do an access road to get to that property,” he said.
The study will also look at commercial elements and ways to enhance livability.
“I think we’re trying to make it easier, make it safer, make it more efficient for folks, from a residential perspective as well,” Ragozine said. “And just the folks that live in the region, just to be able to get in and out of these corridors. You know, we’ve seen a lot of these types of projects take place across the country where you’re just making things more seamless.”
The project would also consider smart infrastructure such as street light upgrades, improved roadway planning and preparation for roadway automation.
Smart infrastructure, also used by ODOT, adapts to traffic and requires less maintenance.
Live/work access and affordability and megasite support also are key aspects. Live/work includes a dedicated downtown economic zone, prioritizing routes to downtown and amenities, creating connections between established economic zones and Western Reserve Transit Authority optimization for routes to Lordstown and Youngstown.
Megasite support includes rail, smart trucking yards, two turnpike access points and hubs to the Route 11 and 80 corridors.
The selected consultant is expected to deliver a plan in fall 2025. Eastgate would request additional funding to execute parts of the plan deemed feasible.
Maximum EDA funding is $2.5 million.
“So we’ll find a couple of components of this or a handful of components where we can say, hey, you know, we’re going to request $2.5 million,” he said. “We’ll match it through some combination of local funding to make it a $5 million project.”
Eastgate would explore other funding sources too, including the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio Public Works Commission.