“12th Street Reimagined” Study Seeks Public Input to Set the Stage for Corridor’s Revitalization
This spring, the City of Erie invites residents, business owners and others with an interest in the 12th Street corridor to take part in crafting a vision for the area’s continued enhancement. The official kickoff of the 12th Street Reimagined plan marks the launch of an effort to engage the public and stakeholders in developing market-supported land use and transportation strategies for the stretch of West 12th Street between the I-79 Interchange and Cherry Street. The plan will examine reuse opportunities for critical sites and establish action steps for making the corridor more inviting and functional for new development and redevelopment, as well as ensuring that the roadway is designed to meet the current and future needs of all users.
The first public engagement event for the project will take place:
Wednesday, March 27th, 10:00 a.m.
Hagerty Family Events Center
501 W. 12th St., Erie, PA 16501
At this event, the project team will present preliminary market research findings as a framework to consider potential future land uses and redevelopment concepts. A second public event planned for May will take the form of a design charrette, inviting the community to respond to and shape vision scenarios for the corridor and target locations. Details will be shared at https://cityof.erie.pa.us/12streetproject/ as the project advances.
The corridor was identified as a core area within Erie Refocused, the City of Erie’s Comprehensive Plan. Industrial site investments by the Erie County Redevelopment Authority and new developments proposed closer to Downtown make this an optimal time to establish and advance a community-supported vision. As Erie Refocused notes:
“For 12th Street to be transformed over the next 10 years, businesses need to be attracted to the character of the location itself – great connections to downtown, interesting building stock, a cool streetscape – but also by incentives that make this corridor extremely compelling from a cost standpoint.”
With support from City staff, Erie County and partner agencies, a consultant team will guide an appointed steering committee through internal workshops; conduct public events, interviews, focus groups and other outreach to gather local perspectives; collect and analyze data; examine target sites; and review ordinances. The work will result in a reality-rooted plan that establishes a vision, goals, transportation improvements and a future land use scenario, along with an implementation and funding plan. The project is scheduled for completion in June.
Overall coordination and expertise on land use and aesthetics will be led by Pashek+MTR, a Pittsburgh-based landscape architecture and community planning studio. Fourth Economy, a national community and economic development consulting firm, will contribute market analysis and development insight, and Whitman, Requardt & Associates, a nationally recognized multi-disciplinary engineering firm, will lead the transportation component.
The project is supported by Federal Highway Administration grant funds administered by the Erie Metropolitan Planning Organization.
CONTACTS:
Jacqueline Spry, Director
Department of Planning & Neighborhood Resources
City of Erie
(814) 870-1287
jspry@erie.pa.us
Jenni Easton, Project Consultant
Pashek+MTR
(412) 321-6362 x 107
jeaston@pashekmtr.com