WARREN A new chapter is being written in the city of Warren. What was once the site of the former Emerson School is now transforming into a neighborhood of the future.

"It's really a fantastic day and a great transition from school yard to backyard," Warren Mayor Doug Franklin said.

Tuesday, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership broke ground on four new single-family homes, marking a significant shift in the organization's mission—from tearing down to building up.

"These homes will be sold at the market rate, to owner occupants that commit to living there for a minimum of three years," Matt Martin, Executive Director of Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership said. "They'll be about 1,500 square feet. They are three bedroom houses, two bathrooms. They have detached garages, basement. You see them digging those out today. So yeah, they'll be really nice houses, and we're really excited about it."

It's a powerful transformation for a piece of land once filled with laughter and learning.

"When you think about the fact that, you know, couple of decades ago, it's full of kids that are learning and developing to become productive members of society, but now we're sort of honoring that tradition by repurposing this land so that we can have four beautiful new market rate houses right here on this property where, you know, families can build memories and more children can call this place home," Franklin said.

This is a turning point for TNP. For years, they've led the charge in tearing down blight and renovating what could be saved. But with just under 400 vacant homes left—down from 1,500 when they began—it's time to build something new.

"Our first decade was really triage, doing demolitions, doing renovations, and that work continues, but there's less than 400 vacant houses now, and easily, two thirds of them are in good enough shape that the market can turn them around without our intervention," Martin said. "Meanwhile, we have 1,000 vacant lots in the city of Warren, some of them are larger than others, and there's an incredible housing demand right now. So, while we'll continue to renovate vacant houses, we're going to start building new homes to help meet that need. We have a lot of exciting things happening in this area. We're hoping to be a part of a population influx of the city of Warren and really all of Trumbull County. So, our part in contributing to that is to build in these same neighborhoods that we did all the renovation, demolition, land use work the previous 15 years."

City leaders believe this is just the beginning of a new housing era for Warren—and a critical step in welcoming new families drawn by recent business growth and opportunity.

"We know with the incoming businesses and the need for quality affordable housing, this is going to help fulfill that need," Franklin said. "We know that this is just the beginning. We feel that with a successful project such as this, we'll be able to multiply this significantly throughout the city."

Construction on the four homes is expected to wrap up later this year. The homes will be sold by the county landbank and cost under $200,000. Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership hopes to replicate this model across the city with a goal of eventually building 200 to 300 homes.