Erie has a tremendous opportunity before it.

Infinite Erie is a community and economic development strategy designed to harness funding opportunities, unify diverse public, private, and civic stakeholders around a common vision, and advance equitable economic development across Erie County, Pennsylvania. Coordinating inclusive growth strategies for transformative change, Infinite Erie brings together a cross-sector coalition with shared goals to:

  • Foster economic growth
  • Promote vibrant neighborhoods
  • Build a diversified economy that benefits everyone

At the heart of Infinite Erie’s strategy is Erie’s Investment Playbook, a dynamic, living roadmap informed by input from more than 50 community stakeholders and a range of community-informed strategic plans. The Playbook outlines a pipeline of projects that align with community needs and transformative goals and guides stakeholders to align
around priority projects that enhance community equity, drive market momentum, and contribute to Erie’s economic vitality. 

Through projects that tackle homelessness and create safe and affordable housing to revitalizing main street corridors and advancing equity, Infinite Erie is supporting inclusive growth strategies from ideation to implementation and every stage in between. Infinite Erie utilizes its “Project Portfolio” framework for tracking progress and providing a platform to evaluate and add new projects to the portfolios as community needs evolve. Each portfolio addresses key community priorities in the following areas:

  • Neighborhoods and Main Streets
  • Anchor Investments in the Greater Core
  • Industry Clusters and Infrastructure
  • Inclusive Entrepreneurship

This effort is empowered by the Erie Action Team that includes cross-sector leaders and dedicated practitioners who are on the ground driving Erie’s economic growth efforts.

Infinite Erie is committed to coordinating solutions of excellence to overcome complex challenges and to putting plans into action - ultimately catalyzing transformational growth and driving Erie County toward a more vibrant, equitable future.

 How the Playbook Affects the Region

Cross cutting investments are county-wide. Erie cannot be successful unless the entire region succeeds. 
As a result, significant investment in infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and economic clusters are being made across the County.

Investments in the Greater Core have broad effects in some cases (for example, because of existing economic activity or the placement of the waterfront).
Further investment in those areas can be captured and broadened through equitable mechanisms (e.g., new homeownership programs, community equity districts).

The Playbook is connected to regional efforts:  The entities working to implement the Playbook are connected to county and regional efforts, ensuring county and regional stakeholders realize similar benefits.

Investments can be added to broaden impact: The Investment Playbook is a living document. Its current contents will shift as other investments are prioritized and completed.
If there is sufficient interest in other investments, they can be added to this Playbook.

Investment Playbooks focus on specific
types of investments

Criteria for Investments

Contribute to equitable, sustainable economic growth.
Investments in the Playbook are focused on improving the long-term prospects of a neighborhood, city, or region in a way that ensures that all residents can equitably benefit from that growth. The investments complement one another to create outsized effects.

Are (near) investment-ready.
Projects are meant to be practical and implementable on an accelerated timeline.

Require considerable innovation, complex design, or cross-sector coordination.
Projects cannot easily be executed through the routine procedures by individual organizations.

The Investment Playbook does not include all of the projects and investments being undertaken in a given geography