Planning

The mission of the Erie County Department of Planning is to serve Erie County in fostering long-term livability and vitality of our communities by providing professional planning services and value-added programs based upon a data driven approach to decision making, public engagement, and the establishment of realistic goals for implementation.

Programs:

• Affordable Housing Program
• Coastal Zone Management
• Community Development Block Grant
• Erie County Greenways Program
• Subdivisions and Land Developments
• Farmland Preservation Program
• Transportation
• Recycling Program

Building and Construction

City of Erie Building Permits:

• Residential
• Commercial

Zoning Officers

Average Annual Wages 2018

Source:
Private, NAICS Sectors, 2018 Annual Averages, All establishment sizes
Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages - Bureau of Labor Statistics

Erie County 
Pennsylvania
U.S. Total Source

The table below provides the living wage requirements in Erie County. The data is sourced from the Living Wage Calculator created by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier at MIT. It is a market-based approach that draws upon geographically specific expenditure data related to a family’s likely minimum food, childcare, health insurance, housing, transportation, and other necessities (e.g. clothing, personal care items, etc.) costs.

The living wage draws on these cost elements and the rough effects of income and payroll taxes to determine the minimum employment earnings necessary to meet a family’s basic needs while also maintaining self-sufficiency.

Source:

2017 Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: http://livingwage.mit.edu/

Erie County, PA

Local

Erie County Enterprise Zone Revolving Loan Fund (EZRLF)

The EZRLF provides low interest financing to credit worthy businesses that contribute significantly to the area’s economy. Land and building acquisition, construction and renovations, machinery and equipment purchases, and other expansion projects that result in the creation or retention of jobs qualify for funding. The program may also be used to finance industrial development projects for manufacturing and industrial enterprises and high tech businesses.

EZRLF funding fills the gap between bank financing and your organization’s equity. The Fund can provide financing up to 50% of the total project cost, or a maximum of $500,000. The interest rate is fixed between 3 and 4% at the time of loan closing.

Flagship Fund

The Flagship Fund is the City of Erie’s first ever Micro-Grant program for small businesses. It was established to provide financial assistance to support market-ready products and services that enhance the City of Erie’s reputation for innovation and creativity; contribute to a thriving, sustainable business culture; and improve the quality of life for residents of the City of Erie. Start-ups and established businesses from any sector are welcome to apply as long as you have a great idea and a sound business proposal that is going to proceed regardless of grant funding. Funding awards will be granted up to $5,000. A 1:1 funding match is required. Grant dollars will be awarded on a reimbursement basis.

LERTA

In October 2012, the City, School District and County taxing bodies adopted ordinances to provide for a beneficial investment incentive for Commercial/Industrial and Residential properties to continue throughout the City of Erie. This real estate tax abatement program applies to improvements (renovations, new construction, etc) that are completed.

State

PA Department of Community and Economic Development

If you’re seeking funding for a business expansion, a community project, or site revitalization in Pennsylvania, DCED offers a variety of programs to help.

Keystone Communities Program (KCP)

The Keystone Communities (KC) program is designed to encourage the creation of partnerships between the public and private sectors that jointly support local initiatives such as the growth and stability of neighborhoods and communities; social and economic diversity; and a strong and secure quality of life. The program allows communities to tailor the assistance to meet the needs of its specific revitalization effort.

Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP)

A project must serve distressed areas or support neighborhood conservation. Projects must fall under one of the following categories: affordable housing programs, community services, crime prevention, education, job training or neighborhood assistance. A tax credit of up to 55% can be awarded.

PA Federal Opportunity Zones

The federal tax bill passed at the end of December 2017 enables the governor to designate certain census tracts as Opportunity Zones. Investments made by individuals through special funds in these zones would be allowed to defer or eliminate federal taxes on capital gains.

Pennsylvania Keystone Opportunity Zone

By eliminating specific state and local taxes within specific underdeveloped and underutilized areas, communities within Pennsylvania are experiencing economic growth and investment. KOZs reflect a true sense of partnership among state and local taxing bodies, school districts, economic development agencies and community-based organizations.

Keystone Innovation Zones (KIZ)

The Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) program (2004) was designed to address the lack of entrepreneurial activity and knowledge economy growth around Pennsylvania’s research and development clusters. These KIZs were established around institutions of higher education located in both rural and urban regions and focus on utilizing Pennsylvania’s institutions of higher education as economic drivers. Each KIZ contains different partnerships from their region that include, but not limited to economic development providers, local governments, financial institutions and venture capitalists. Each KIZ focuses on its region’s individual competitive target industries.