Neighborhoods & Communities

 Mid-Term Evaluation

In 2018, the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA) designed three placemaking grant programs to address the revitalization of commercial corridors, neighborhood housing, and preservation of historic structures with commercial value for the express purpose of stemming the tide of blight and reversing historic disinvestment.  They are as follows:

• Anchor Building
• Mission Main Street
• Renaissance Block

Erie Refocused (2016) challenged the City of Erie to invest strategically in concentrated places that could yield the best multiplier effects.  The plan refers to these places as "areas of work" and "strategy zones" to concentrate financial investment.  The Neighborhoods and Communities impact area is a direct response to this plan.  Two years of research - focus groups, workshops, and benchmarking - led the ECGRA team to redesign the scale and flexibility of Mission Main Street, while creating the Renaissance Block Program in the image of the Pete Lombardi inspired program in Jamestown, NY.  Anchor Building came in response to numerous plans to stabilize and preserve our rich architectural past.  These three programs are complementary in their approach, focus, and intended outcomes.

Click below to learn more about each of these programs:

• Anchor Building
• Mission Main Street
• Renaissance Block

An impact investing organization, ECGRA's mission is to empower the nonrpofit sector, municipal governments, and economic development agencies to revitalize Erie County.  ECGRA is endowed with local share gaming revenue from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania via the Horse Race Gaming Act.  Local share gaming revenue is an assessment of the licensed gambling industry in Pennsylvania.