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I was pleased to read in the July 15 Tribune Chronicle that Warren is moving forward with demolition of St. Joseph Hospital and the Mahoning Avenue motel. This is a great start to blight cleanup in and around the city.
Warren must take a more proactive approach on derelict owners, especially those who own dilapidated property in key areas. For example, the Reeves Apartment Building, which sits at the edge of a key downtown entrance point. It has sat empty since being purchased by Mr. Barry Taitz a few years ago. It has been gang tagged, set on fire and now houses vagrants who squat simply to do drugs and party. It is a terrible hindrance for further and future development on the peninsula. Further complicating matters was the foolish decision by three incompetent commissioners to cancel the WRTA deal, thus bringing an end to plans Warren may have had for the peninsula property.
The city of Warren should take a stand against Mr. Taitz and force him to tear down the property or bring the building up to code compliance. The same can be said for properties purchased and left to rot by Mr. Christopher Alan of Los Angeles. He purchased the property on Pine Avenue and has done nothing to improve this property. It sits empty with vagrants also going in and out of this building. He has had a minimum of three offers on the property by people who can and would have improved the building and its appearance. Further, he has done basically nothing to the eyesore known as The Hughes Mansion on North Park, not to mention the derelict properties he owns along Dana and Paige Streets, and forces the city to close the street due to supposed vandalism. I, for one, have driven down Dana Street. I was able to drive around the barriers and all the way to the end where another barrier sits, so what is the point? I believe Mr. Alan really wants the road to be closed so the residents of Warren cannot see the derelict buildings with all the windows broken out and no noticeable improvement. There is absolutely no reason, especially in the name of vandalism, that Dana Street should remain closed to through traffic. The city should open the street immediately and expose the blight that is Mr. Alan's property and that may possibly force him to make the necessary repairs to the properties he purchased. The same can be said about the Packard Apartments and the fact that, for years, the building has been left to deteriorate to a point at which the corners are pulling away from the building and it is in danger of falling on its own.
Mr. Coon has received his tax credits, as noted in a previous Tribune Chronicle article, so the city should be informed as to the timeline for him to start and finish the renovation process. Why should these individuals be held to a lower standard than other individuals? And why should they be allowed to contribute to the blight of this beautiful city?
We understand that the Trumbull County commissioners office is a circus, but the city of Warren and its officials do not need to fall into the same three-ring tent as that office. The city needs to stand up and take control and force these individuals and others to live up to the expectations that those individuals themselves created when promising jobs and better times for the area. The city has the power to make these people do the right thing and turn their properties into the gems they could be and start Warren on a true path to revitalization through beautification, job and cultural growth.