Place-Based

Neighborhoods

Transform neighborhoods and increase equity

Erie’s neighborhoods have experienced some difficulty in the past several decades that include low rates of homeownership, increasing blight, and low home values. Given the new influx of funds, these organizations, in partnership with the City, have an historic opportunity to build and repair housing across the affordability spectrum, increase homeownership, and revive commercial corridors and anchor properties, all while allowing BIPOC resident to benefit from the construction boom. These strategies together will ensure that the new. 

Expand Erie Center for Arts and Technology
Accelerate East Side Renaissance
Revive Savocchio Opportunity Park
Complete HANDS Hammermill affordable housing development
Implement Redevelopment Authority of the Cite of Erie (RACE) Comprehensive Housing Plan
Expand homeownership with a focus on Black residents (More organizing required)
Build capacity of BIPOC developers / construction workforce (More organizing required)
Purchase and reuse Burton School property (More organizing required)
Create conservancy to preserve and support public parks (More organizing required)
Boost capacity of community organizations (e.g., OWB, BEST, SSJ, others)

7.1: Expand Erie Center for Arts and Technology


Investment Overview:
ECAT will create ECORP in order to develop and manage a broader set of community development programs, including a) developing commercial corridors along East Avenue (6th–8th St), b) building a jazz performance and workforce development center, c) launching a construction trades program with Erie School District and d) creating a master neighborhood revitalization plan. Successful implementation of this work can serve as a model for replication in other neighborhoods in Erie.


Goals and Benefits:
Such a considerable expansion of ECAT would could transform the East Bayfront into a thriving neighborhood of multiple uses. Though primarily residential, the East Bayfront would also include robust commercial corridors and centers for light entertainment and job training. These investments would also align substantially with other important projects, including training in construction trades and renovating homes in the East Bayfront.


Relevant Examples:
ConnCATin New Haven, CT has similarly built job training programs to revitalize neighborhood corridors


Cost, Sources, and Uses:
Total cost: $10,795,000

Uses:
$2.8M –acquire key properties 
$7.3M –renovate key properties 
$700k –programming, salaries, and other overhead

Sources: TBD


Progress and Next Steps:

  • Secure local and other funding sources
  • Create project team across organizations and individuals in the East Bayfront
  • Incorporate ECORP
  • Launch construction trades training
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7.2: Accelerate East Side Renaissance


Investment Overview:
East Side Renaissance was formed to restore hope through pathways to self-efficiency for the community members along Parade Street, between 6th & 12th Streets, running west to Holland Street. This organization is taking a two-pronged approach to revitalization. First, ESR in investing in people via pathways to self-efficiency, which include programming and support services related to financial comprehension, homeownership, and insurance necessities. Second, ESR is investing in place by focusing on the Parade Street commercial corridor.


Goals and Benefits:
To create an Erie equivalent of the Harlem Renaissance by renovating the built environment, supporting community needs, attracting new business, retaining existing businesses, removing blight, and infusing long-overdue investment into the buildings.


Cost, Sources, and Uses: TBD

 


Progress and Next Steps:

Progress to Date:

  • Acquire 11 key properties along corridor
  • Retain developer to define corridor and key developments

Next Steps:

  • Identify full funding needs
  • Complete fundraising
  • Acquire additional properties along corridor
  • Esure alignment with other efforts in the East Bayfront
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7.3: Revive Savocchio Opportunity Park


Investment Overview:
JASBP is a former superfund site that has remained undeveloped, but with the recent influx of federal dollars, may finally be put to productive use. The site could house a variety of uses, including solar power for the grid, a food production center, and community green space. Successful implementation of this work can serve as a model for replication in other neighborhoods in Erie. 


Goals and Benefits:

  • Provide sustainable energy capacity to the grid
  • Stimulate local economy by creating incubation opportunities for food and beverage sector
  • Create green and sustainable businesses in a former superfund site


Relevant Examples:
Project could be modeled after ECAT and / or ConnCAT


Cost, Sources, and Uses:
Total cost: $8,500,000

Uses:
$1.8M –Aquaponics
$485k –Pest Remediation Business
$500k –Remediation
$1.3M –Commercial Kitchen Incubator
$700k–Co-Packing site
$4M –Solar installation 

Sources:
$2.2M –City ARP grant
TBD –EDA Economic Adjustment Grant 


Progress and Next Steps:

  • Explore other existing funding sources
  • Identify property manager
  • Break ground in 2022 

7.4: Complete HANDS Hammermill affordable housing development




Investment Overview:

HANDS Hammermill is a 50-unit affordable housing development of East Lake Road in Erie’s East Side. The development will be focused on housing general occupancy work force, special needs, and homeless residents. The project is a partnership between HANDS, a nonprofit housing developer, HamotHealth Foundation, Erie Center for Arts and Technology, and the City of Erie.


Goals and Benefits:

  • Increase housing options and supply for low-and moderate-income residents in the East Bayfront, within a short distance of downtown employment opportunities
  • Address homelessness across Erie
  • Bring new development to Erie’s East Bayfront neighborhood


Relevant Examples:
HANDS Midtown Revitalization (1326 Parade St)


Cost, Sources, and Uses: 

Total cost: $4M+

Uses:

$360k –Site acquisition

$3.6M –Site prep

TBD –Construction

TBD –Other

Sources:

$3M –ARPA (local)

$300k –CDBG

TBD–LIHTC

TBD–NAP Tax Credit

TBD–PHFA PHARE

TBD–Bank Loan


Progress and Next Steps:

Progress to Date:

  • Secure local ARPA funding

  • Confirm community support through stakeholder meetings

Next Steps:

  • Close capital stack with other public and private financing

  • Purchase site / secure site control

  • Complete permitting and environmental reviews

  • Begin construction in 2022

7.5: Implement Redevelopment Authority of the Cite of Erie (RACE) Comprehensive Housing Plan


Investment Overview:

In most neighborhoods in Erie, there is a gap between home value and hope repair, creating a disincentive for homeowners and landlords to build or renovate many housing units. Erie can accelerate home repairs by providing financial incentives to homeowners and landlords to renovate existing housing units in the city’s neighborhoods, thereby increasing home and neighborhood appealacross the city. The City of Erie has allocated $15M for a variety of programs, including grants to homeowners, loans to landlords, andadditional funds to neighborhood organizations. Most of these efforts are focused citywide, and neighborhoods outside the city can adopt a similar model to upgrade their housing stock, raise home values, and improve their neighborhoods.


Goals and Benefits:

  • 85+ homes demolished / blighted homes repaired

  • 180+ homes remediated of hazards (e.g., lead paint)

  • 60-70 vacant lots put back into productive reuse

  • 84+ rental properties improved

  • 102+ owner-occupied homes are brought up to code

  • 18 small and minority-owned contractors are provided support for work

  • 84+ families become new homeowners


Relevant Examples:
Rehabbed and Readyin Detroit program uses philanthropic funding from the Rocket Community Fund and others to renovate and sell homes for market value in order to bridge the gap between home value and repair expenses.


Cost, Sources, and Uses:
Total cost: $13.5M (3 years)

Uses:

$1.8M –Blight / acquisition

$2.3M –New production

$2.3M –Rental investment

$3M –Housing rehabilitation loan

$3.2M –Healthy Home grant

$1M –Housing and small business preservation grant

Sources:

$13.5M -City ARP Funding


Progress:

  • Secure local ARP funding

  • Identify concrete objectives and targets for home repair

Next Steps:

  • Coordinate support for small-and minority-owned contractors with Paramount Pursuits
  • Coordinate home repair programs with OWB, BEST, SSJ
  • Formalize and launch home repair grant and loan programs
  • Identify properties for purchase and remediation
  • Bring existing lots into productive use
  • Ensure alignment with broader homeownership programs

7.6: Expand homeownership with a focus on Black residents




Investment Overview:

With several measures now in place to improve Erie’s housing stock and raise property prices, it is imperative that the City also expand opportunities for homeownership so that a wider array of citizens can benefit from these changes. At present, Erie’s homeownership numbers are low and inequitable: only 2% of black residents own their home in Erie. A robust new homeownership effort can reverse these inequities. Traditional programs such as first-time homeowner incentives and lease to purchase as well as more innovative tools such as community equity districts can be part of Erie’s comprehensive approach to this issue. While some smaller investments in homeownership have already been made, local stakeholders must decide on, and then fund, a broader strategy to boost homeownership and reduce inequities.


Goals and Benefits:

  • Allow a broader set of Erie residents to benefit from homeownership by building wealth
  • Reduce inequities in homeownership and wealth
  • Build local pride and civic engagement


Cost, Sources, and Uses: TBD

$55k –Genesis Homeownership program (SSJ)

$1M –Homeownership incentive grant (ERA)


Progress and Next Steps:

  • Create delivery team to create comprehensive homeownership strategy aligned with timeline for home repairs
  • Raise capital for homeownership programs

7.7: Build capacity of BIPOC developers / construction workforce




Investment Overview:

As Erie’s neighborhoods undergo a revitalization driven by substantial home renovation, this investment would allow BIPOC andother residents in Erie to partake in the boom in development and construction work that will follow. Investments in programs to trainand capitalize BIPOC developers will help these residents oversee new development, while job training will ensure access to skilled,high-paying jobs in the construction industry. Erie has already made an initial investment in Paramount Pursuits to assist 15 construction industry participants in a 12-week program for 3 years. This program can be deepened by grants to and patient loans to minority-owned developers and construction teams in order to purchase equipment and strengthen their balance sheets. The timeline for these programs is especially important, as investments in and support to small-and minority-owned developers must happen immediately in order to benefit from the coming construction boom.


Goals and Benefits:

  • Create new local construction jobs

  • Allow small-and minority-owned businesses to benefit from construction boom

  • Help Erie reinvestment local capital, rather than hiring out-of-town contractors


Relevant Examples:

  • Jumpstart Germantown (Philadelphia) is a residential real estate development training program that focuses on helping people break into the industry and fighting gentrification by encouraging people to develop their own communities.
  • East Side Avenues Initiative (Buffalo) has a community-based real estate development training to train building owners in commercial real estate development and invest in community-level developer commercial and mixed-use projects, in order to ensure that buildings are redeveloped for and by East Side residents. The effort is funded with a $5M in capital and $1M operating budget.


Cost, Sources, and Uses:
Total cost: TBD

Uses:

$500k –Paramount Pursuits construction industry small business program

$TBD –Grants and loans to construction businesses

Sources:

$500k –City ARP grant, TBD


Progress and Next Steps:

  • Create delivery team to identify specific programs and capital needs with 30-day deadline

  • Raise necessary capital

  • Conduct significant outreach through community groups

  • Launch inaugural program in time for building boom

7.8: Purchase and reuse Burton School property




Investment Overview:

Across Erie’s neighborhoods and especially in the East Bayfront, Erie has numerous historical buildings that could be used to provide critical social services, jumpstart new commercial corridors, and increase foot traffic. Local stakeholders can purchase these structures and bring them into productive use. While many sites are still to be identified, one example is theBurton School in the East Bayfront. Though its use has dwindled over the years, it is registered in PA’s Cultural Resource Geographic Information inventory as a historical site, and the property could be used as a hub for childcare, pre-K, and workforce development.


Goals and Benefits:

  • Increase critical local services (e.g., childcare) in Erie’s neighborhoods
  • Return historic properties to productive use
  • Stimulate neighborhood economy by creating local jobs and foot traffic


Cost, Sources, and Uses: 

Total cost: $6M+

Uses:

$6M –Burton School purchase


Progress and Next Steps:

  • Determine full list of properties to purchase
  • Identify uses (e.g., childcare) for building list
  • Raise capital for building purchase and renovation

7.9: Create conservancy to preserve and support public parks




Investment Overview:

Several of Erie’s parks have seen considerable revitalization at the hands of nonprofit and private hands. The Perry Square Alliance has undertaken a significant effort to revitalize the park, the LEAF Arboretum has transformed with private support, and local businesses leaders helped clean up GriswaldPark. Given this positive track record, Erie can place its parks in a conservancy. Through this arrangement, the parks would still have public funding, but would be able to attract private dollars and more flexibly use volunteers and staff. This arrangement would also allow the city to focus more deeply on other issues.


Goals and Benefits:

  • Improve and protect parks and green spaces across Erie

  • Free up capacity at the City

  • Mobilize new private funds to invest in City’s parks


Relevant Examples:

  • Forest Park Forever, St. Louis
  • Olmstead Parks Conservancy, Louisville


Cost, Sources, and Uses: 
Total cost: $6,100,000 (3 years)

Uses:

$1.9M –shared full-time contractors

$4.2M –staffing, salaries, and other operational costs


Progress and Next Steps:

  • Assess feasibility of creating a park conservancy

  • Solicit public comment and feedback

  • Identify and recruit staff, leaders, and volunteers for conservancy

  • Conduct initial fundraiser for parks

7.10: Boost capacity of community organizations (e.g., OWB, BEST, SSJ, others)




Investment Overview:

Neighborhood organizations like OWB and BEST have an extended track record of being nimble and using innovative methods to improve local housing and boost homeownership. With the City’s recent investments in home repairs through the Erie Redevelopment Authority, these neighborhood groups are now especially needed to “fill in the gaps” to ensure Erie is undertaking a comprehensive approach to housing. These organizations can expand programs focused on public housing ownership and value capture, homeownership expansion, housing model innovation (e.g., community investment trusts), and others. In order to do so, they require a “boost in capacity” to pilot and scale such programs in close collaboration with other entities (e.g., Erie Redevelopment Authority).


Goals and Benefits:

  • Ensure comprehensive approach to housing so that all residents in Erie have an opportunity to benefit from increases in housing stock and appreciating home values
  • Build capacity of effective local community organizations
  • Solidify partnerships across Erie’s housing system


Relevant Examples:

Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation has been especially successful at home renovation with a staff of ~20


Cost, Sources, and Uses: 
Total cost: $6,100,000 (3 years)

Uses:

$1.9M –shared full-time contractors

$4.2M –staffing, salaries, and other operational costs

Sources:

$500k –City ARP grant


Progress and Next Steps:

Progress to Date:

  • Complete land trust feasibility study

  • Raise initial funding from local ARP dollars

Next Steps:

  • Determine how community organizations will support strategies on home repairs, homeownership, and minority-owned contractors with key local organizations (e.g., Paramount Pursuits, Erie Redevelopment Authority)

  • Implement recommendations from land trust feasibility study

  • Share learnings and model to organizations outside of East and West Bayfront

  • Secure additional funding (e.g., national foundations, local philanthropy)