The project has been in the works for nearly ten years.
Erie Events hopes to begin construction this year on $14 million in market housing in the city’s West Bay, a project that recently received multimillion-dollar support from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration.
“We’ve actually made a lot of progress,” said Gus Pine, executive director of Erie Events. “These projects are complex because you’re actually building the boat in the water. There are a lot of factors happening at once.”
Pine said Erie Events hopes to begin construction on the 27,000-square-foot facility later this year.
The market housing, planned for construction near the former GAF Materials Corp. site, could be completed as early as December 2027, Pine said. EE Austin & Son Inc., a subsidiary of Erie, was hired by Erie Events in 2025 to serve as construction manager for the project.
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Gwen White is president of the Erie County Convention Center Authority Board of Directors. The agency oversees Erie activities.
White called the project “a critical next step in transforming Erie Bay” and predicted market housing would become “another economic driver for our community.”
“This is another initiative for the benefit of our community and our state,” White said.
Market house details
Pine said the concept of market housing has changed as the project has grown.
Pine, who had been considered the site of at least one large full-service grocery store, said the facility would include a business featuring “Erie products” such as wine, chocolate, apparel and other consumer/retail items.
The business will also offer a variety of “family-friendly” games/activities within the hotel and manage live music and other entertainment.
Pine said the market house will also host large “farmers’ markets” on a regular basis, with a variety of food items available inside and outside the house.
“It’s not a grocery store anymore, but we really want to work with as many local people as possible to bring in and showcase Erie products,” Pine said. “You can have baked goods, other food items, clothing and more. We’ll also have features like a teaching kitchen, which is a place where cooking classes and wine tastings can be held.
“We will also be activating the space year-round with music and many other types of events,” Pine said, “so it will be suitable for families and groups. It will be a place where a lot of people go and stay for two hours.”
Pine said the decision to abandon the grocery store concept was driven in part by the fact that the Erie-based Country Fair chain will move in 2024 into its flagship public market on North Park Row, a few blocks south of the market.
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“We don’t want to repeat what they did,” Pine said.
Additionally, Erie Events is actively seeking a second tenant to operate a large retail store at the location; Pine would not name the potential tenant because the lease agreement has not yet been signed.
financing mix
On Oct. 17, Shapiro joined state Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger in Erie to announce a major state investment in market housing projects: a $9.5 million Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant.
Financing for the project still includes $5.5 million in state funding previously awarded to the project. Any necessary additional funding could come from a mix of cash, grants and loans, Pyne said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Oct. 17 that the state will provide funding for Erie Events’ market housing project at the former GAF Materials Corp. site along Erie’s west bay.
During a visit to Erie in October, Shapiro called Market House “an incredibly exciting project. When completed, it will be a one-stop shop for residents and visitors.”
2026 timetable
Erie Events hopes to request construction bids sometime in February and have zoning and building approvals completed by the end of March, Pine said.
Pyne said bids were likely to go out in March and construction of the “core and shell” of market homes could begin as early as April.
“You really don’t want to be underground before April anyway,” Pine said. “But around April, people will see activity at that location.”
Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNflowers.
This article originally appeared in Erie Times News: Construction on Erie Bay Market Homes to begin in 2026
