Erie County Times

The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) announced that it will be awarding $4 million for a project led by the Erie County Redevelopment Authority that will repurpose the former Erie Malleable Iron Co. complex to a new business park.

According to a report by goerie.com, the RACP made the announcement on April 29. The Erie County Redevelopment Authority paid $375,000 in 2021 to buy the dilapidated remains of what was once the EMI facility located on West 12th Street. The state also announced $6.25 million for four projects that include $500,000 for Millcreek Township’s Presque Isle Gateway; $1.75 million to expand Shearer’s chip plant in Waterford; $2.5 million for Corry; and $1.5 million in the revitalization of Gannon University’s Hammermill Center.

"I appreciate the governor's vote of confidence in the Erie Malleable Iron Project," Erie County Redevelopment Authority CEO Tina Mengine said to the Erie Times-News. "We are pleased with this investment. It will go a long way toward moving this project into the next phase. I want to thank the governor, the Erie delegation and my colleagues at DCED (Department of Community and Economic Development) for all their support.”

The plan consists of the Redevelopment Authority demolishing the brick buildings and then restoring five of the remaining buildings, while also constructing four new buildings on a five-acre property. Mengine said that this project will not only be a good boost to the economy in the region, but also give a new look to one of the city’s four gateways. She added that the project is intended to improve the landscape of the area.

The $4 million award will help fund phase one of the project, which totals about $20 million.

There has reportedly been some backlash from the project from officials like Erie County Executive Brenton Davis, who told the Erie-Times News that he didn’t think it was financially feasible.