A completed report, along with some specific block-by-block suggestions, is expected to be submitted to the Erie Downtown Development Corp. in a few weeks.

An advisory panel from the Urban Land Institute, including former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy and some of the nation’s leading urban and community planners, are spending the week in Erie.

They’ve toured neighborhoods by bus, walked through areas of downtown, been briefed on local challenges and plans and spent hours interviewing local stakeholders on what Erie does and doesn’t need and where changes should take place.

The 11-member panel, whose work in Erie is funded by the city of Erie, the Jefferson Educational Society, the Erie Community Foundation, Erie Insurance and the Erie Downtown Development Corp., will sift through what they’ve learned Thursday and compile its preliminary recommendations.

A completed report, along with some specific block-by-block suggestions, is expected to be submitted to the EDDC in a few weeks as that group moves forward with its mission of transforming downtown Erie by purchasing and renovating real estate, promoting new businesses and new activities.

By Jim Martin 
Original Source: http://www.goerie.com/news/20180801/urban-land-institute-to-present-early-findings-on-erie