The Urban Land Institute to Advise Erie, Pennsylvania on Downtown Revitalization

For more information, contact: Trisha Riggs at 202-624-7086; [email protected]

WASHINGTON (July 25, 2018) – A group of nationally renowned land use and urban planning experts representing the  Urban Land Institute (ULI) will be making recommendations next week on revitalization efforts for Erie’s downtown. ULI is a global, multidisciplinary real estate organization whose work is driven by 40,000-plus members dedicated to responsible land use and building thriving, sustainable communities.

The Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC), in partnership with Erie Insurance, the City of Erie, the Erie Community Foundation, and the Jefferson Educational Society have asked the ULI panel to provide strategic advice on how the city can better to fuel economic growth through real estate development in downtown Erie. The newly founded EDDC, a privately funded nonprofit led by a group of business and community leaders, is working together with the City in the name of transformational change.

The panelists, convened through ULI’s Advisory Services program, will be visiting Erie July 29-August 3, 2018. Their assignment will include performing an analysis of local market conditions and making recommendations on how to leverage the revitalization and redevelopment efforts in Erie’s downtown core.

During the week, the panelists will tour the study area and spend two days meeting and interviewing stakeholders from the public and private sector. After carefully analyzing the site and completing the interviews, the panelists will then frame their recommendations and draft a presentation that will be made to the public at the conclusion of the visit.

ULI Trustee Richard Reynolds, president of the Reynolds Group, a strategic real estate consulting firm in Boston Massachusetts is the chairman of the panel. “We’re excited to bring ULI’s expertise to Erie,” said Reynolds, who is a highly regarded urban development expert. “We’ll be looking at critical aspects of the future of the downtown and it is clear that the enthusiasm and excitement around EDDC is palpable.  All of the ULI team members bring significant experience to this exercise and having panel members such as former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy (now a ULI senior resident fellow) and Steve Leeper from Cincinnati’s 3CDC organization will be a tremendous advantage. The strategies implemented by Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and other legacy cities with successful urban regeneration initiatives will provide important indications and clues that can be used in Erie’s resurgence.”

Now in its 70th year, the ULI advisory services program assembles experts in the fields of real estate and land use planning to participate on panels worldwide, offering recommendations for complex planning and development projects, programs and policies. Panels have developed more than 700 studies for a broad range of land uses, ranging from waterfront properties to inner-city retail.

According to Thomas Eitler, senior vice president of ULI’s advisory services program, the strength of the program lies in ULI’s unique ability to draw on the substantial knowledge of its 40,000-plus members, including land developers, economists, engineers, public officials, academics, lenders, architects, planners and urban designers. “The independent views of the panelists bring a fresh perspective to the land use challenge,” Eitler said.

While EDDC is the primary sponsor for the ULI advisory panel, other local entities have contributed greatly to the preparatory work that is making the panel possible. These include the PNC Bank, Marquette Savings Bank, UPMC Hamot, Gannon University, Mercyhurst University, Custom Group Industries, Wisconsin Distributors, Northwest Bank, and Eriebank.

Past sponsors of ULI advisory service panels include: federal, state and local government agencies; regional councils of government; chambers of commerce; redevelopment authorities; private developers and property owners; community development corporations; lenders; historic preservation groups; non-profit community groups; environmental organizations and economic development agencies.

NOTE TO REPORTERS AND EDITORS: The panel’s recommendations will be presented at the Erie Insurance Auditorium, located at Erie Insurance, 100 Erie Insurance Place at 9 a.m. on Friday, August 3. Use the Perry Square Building entrance located on French Street.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has more than 40,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. For more information, please visit uli.org  or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.