Where Emerson Elementary once stood in Warren, new homes will soon take its place.

"I hope this is the beginning of something good," said Warren City Schools Superintendent Steve Chiaro.

On Thursday, the district officially voted to transfer the land where Emerson used to be to the Western Reserve Port Authority.

"In the fall (of 2024), Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership came to the board and received a grant to put, I believe, five new houses in an area of our community," Chiaro explained.

TNP got some pushback on its first choice for a location to build the homes, so they settled on the old Emerson plot on Drexel Avenue.
Neighbors there warmed to the idea, part of the 'Welcome Home Ohio' program.
It builds affordable housing on former school properties.

"We feel that that would be a great place for some economic development in the city of Warren," Chiaro said. "This is something that has not happened in our community, we'd like to see it continue, we'd like to see it be positive and proactive and get more housing over the next decade."

A good possibility, since the district has more properties that it's been maintaining for this kind of purpose.
And while there's no timeline for this project to get underway, it's certain that where kids once learned, families will grow.

TNP Executive Director Matt Martin told 21 News in a statement that "we are grateful to the Warren City Schools for the transfer of this site and for their continued partnership, along with the city of Warren and the North West Neighborhood Association on this project. The proposed use of the site is for TNP to build 4 single family homes to be re-sold to owner occupants. This is our first new construction project in Warren after 15 years of blight remediation including renovation and demolition of vacant houses. The city is ready to move forward, and with many new and exciting projects in the community, now is the time to invest in our neighborhoods by building new and #BuildingABetterWarren".