Date: July 29- August 3, 2018

Location: Erie, PA

Sponsor: Erie Downtown Development Corp. (EDDC) , City of Erie, Erie Insurance, Erie Community Foundation, Jefferson Educational Society

Subject Area: Infastructure, Parks. Economic Development

Panel Chair: Richard W. Reynolds, The Reynolds Group, Boston, MA

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The sponsor requested strategic advice on a host of issues associated with economic development, urban design, land economics and specific development options for the for the EDDC footprint in downtown.  In addition, the panel was also asked to suggest principles regarding how the city and private entities can partner to ensure success.

The panels provided an economic overview of the city including identifying key economic drivers and competitive advantages for the city and its downtown core.  The panel also provided a conceptual block- by-block development scheme for e the EDDC footprint.  The block- by-block recommendations included up to 700 new dwelling units in a variety of product types from apartments to row houses to small cottages and up to 200,000 square feet of commercials space in a mixed-use format.  The primary thrust of the land use recommendations was to reestablish residential living in downtown.

The panel also made recommendations about how the various entities in the government, business and nonprofit sectors can be organized to improve the process of revitalization.