Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton These properties, located along Pennsylvania Avenue, are the center of an ongoing rancor regarding a senior living development proposed for the corner of Liberty Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

The Eagles Crest senior housing project wasn’t on Monday’s Warren City Council agenda, but the issue managed to dominate the meeting anyway.

The issue was raised by Dave Winans during public comment at the outset of the meeting.

Winans lumped Warren in with Erie and Alexandria, Virginia as three cities “duped into the idea that residential housing in the downtown” is a good idea.

He pitched alternate locations, including the empty lot behind McDonalds, and was critical of the developer, Hudson Companies, for what he described as not diligently examining alternate sites.

“This is not a done deal yet,” he claimed. ” I think the issue is unresolved.”

“You need to look out for the community here,” he told council. “It’s not too late to do something. At this point, changing it to another location might be the best (option) for everyone. It’s not too late to do this.”

The developer has previously indicated it cannot move the location of the project as the funding award for the project is based on an application of the project at that location.

Councilman Maurice Cashman cited a county study that shows a need for affordable housing in the county and coupled that with Census figures that he says show growth in the future in the 60-plus age category in the county.

He then explained how the project came to be.

“THat property sitting down there was vacant (for) my understanding is 30-40 years,” he said, suggesting there was a “push by several council people to ‘get going. We want something on that property.'”

As a result, he said, the city transferred the property to current developer.

Cashman said he visited another of Hudson’s facilities in Clarion and came away impressed.

“There are no facilities like that in Warren County with its individual amenities within the facility itself,” he said. “Hudson has gone so far down the road on this and spent a lot of money…. Essentially, I don’t see them moving.”

He then explained what he views as the benefits to the city for this project — property tax revenue, which, he said, will start to be collected after five years.

“I am not changing my opinion because I think this is a win-win for the City of Warren, Warren County and tne Warren County School District.”

Councilwoman Wendy McCain continued her objection to this project via the Section 106 process, a consultative project for historical property review.

State officials recently told the Times Observer that process aims to “consider the effects of projects” eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Much of downtown Warren is part of a historic district implemented decades ago.

The State Historic Preservation Office concluded, officials say, “that the project has the potential to adversely affect the Warren Historic District.”

The outcome of the process will be mitigation, not an outright stopping of the project.

State officials directed the Times Observer to mitigation efforts that included a community event, educational materials and biographical work.

McCain was critical of Hudson moving ahead — council approved several contracts with the developer last month — amid this process.

She claimed the Section 106 process should have occurred earlier and said that “not following that rule does not give them the opportunity to keep moving forward.”

Mayor David Wortman noted that the Section 106 process “does not belong to the city” and that those agreements approved last month were contingent on the outcome of the Section 106 process.

“What we really are being asked to do is stop the project,” Wortman said. “So I’m asking — what legal basis does the council have to do this?”

McCain reiterated the Section 106 process and the ongoing dispute over a previously-approved agreement for construction staging space along the riverfront.

“When this conversation started, Hudson was going to start the project sooner,” she said, which caused a “conflict in the parking” for the businesses in the area.

City Manager Mike Holtz said that conflict “is basically a moot point” because the roundabout construction will be “long gone” by the time construction moves ahead on Eagles Crest.

Winans argued that council can “chime in on this and put the thumb on the scale a little bit” regarding alternate locations, claiming there is “overwhelming dislike of this project.”

He then, citing the developer’s application to the state, said the number of eligible people for this kind of housing in this area projects to decline, as does the profit projected as a result of the development.

The project aims to create a building with 40 units of senior housing — 35 one bedroom and five two bedrooms, as well as a variety of amenities. It will be open to those 62 and older and will carry income requirements.