One way or another, a riverfront restaurant/outdoor cafe and lounge will apparently be a part of "Impact Warren."

Earlier this week, Warren City Council selected a western New York firm as the designated developer for a 65-room riverfront motel on Clark St. as part of the $50 million downtown and riverfront revitalization project.

Rosewell Hotels, which has two years to develop a hotel on the riverfront site, said it will try to attract a Hampton Inn, with the alternatives of bringing a Comfort Inn or Best Western hotel to downtown Warren if Hampton Inn passes on the opportunity.

Representatives of Rosewell Hotels were noncommittal, however, when council and members of the public asked about plans to include a restaurant and lounge in the hotel.

At Wednesday's meeting of the Warren Planning Commission, the restaurant/lounge subject arose again.

Commission member Don Nelson said the riverfront site, which has been virtually hidden from public view by buildings, is "absolutely beautiful."

Nelson acknowledged that, "We can't tell them how to do their job," but believes, "If somebody doesn't develop a riverfront restaurant, they're really missing the boat."

Nelson asked Warren City Council member David See, who was at the planning commission meeting to answer questions about "Impact Warren," whether "there is any way we can leverage that?"

See said there will probably be a riverfront restaurant, lounge and outdoor cafe "where people will be able to sit out and watch the river" even if those amenities are not included in the new hotel.

See said, "It's in the plans for the conference center" in the event the hotel does not include the facilities.

The small conference center will adjoin the hotel on Clark St.

The conference center, to be located in a portion of the former Loranger Manufacturing building, will likely be one of the last components of "Impact Warren" to be developed and no determination has been made as to who will own and operate the conference center.