St. Vincent de Paul has no immediate plans for land
Warren Tribune –
Tuesday, MAY 28, 2019
WARREN — St. Vincent de Paul is preparing for its future with the purchase of additional land just north of its kitchen and thrift store located on Niles Road.
The charitable organization distributes an average of 150 meals per day in a dining area designed to seat about 50 at a time, said Lou Lepro, president of the Trumbull / Ashtabula / Portage District of the Saint Vincent de Paul Inc.
“There has been an increasing need for our services in recent years,” LePro said recently.
The acquisition of nearby vacant lots comprising about a third acre was completed Tuesday. It is the latest in a series of transactions of city property.
LePro admits the land’s specific use is still unclear, but he says the organization will make good use of it.
“We do not know what we will do with the property at this time,” Lepro said. “That has not been decided. We want to have the land, so we could make the plans around it.”
The lots being purchased were owned by the city and sold through a partnership with Western Reserve Port Authority, in which the port is authorized to sell city-owned properties deemed no longer beneficial for city use.
The program allows the city to turn over property to the port authority for lease or sale without going out for bid.
St. Vincent de Paul is purchasing the property at a cost of $329.
It is the third property sold under the agreement with the Western Reserve Port Authority.
The first was the former Warren SCOPE building, 222 W. Market St. Developer Mark Marvin, who purchased the building for $216,000, is converting the building to a downtown winery, to be called CharBenay’s Wine on the River. It is expected to open next month.
Another Warren property sold was the Owen Morgan House on Mahoning Avenue, which for many years housed the Public Defenders office. The city transferred that property to the Western Reserve Port Authority, which sold it to the Trumbull County Historical Society for $1.
“We’ve been able to transfer these properties to organizations that will improve and take care of them,” Warren Mayor Doug Franklin said.
Additional city properties may be transferred to the Port Authority for sale, provided a business operator provides a plan that is approved by the administration.
Properties in the former Westlawn neighborhood may be added to the list. City Council also must approve the transfer after deeming the properties no longer viable for city use.
Raymond L. Smith, Reporter
rsmith@tribtoday.com
https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local-news/2019/05/warren-charity-latest-to-acquire-city-property