Developer presents 60‑unit Bayview Heights "Arc Terrace" site plan for West Bayfront to Erie planning commission

Andrew Gibbs, a representative of impact investor-developer Arteris, presented a preliminary site plan on July 15, 2025, to the City of Erie Planning Commission for a 2.7‑acre development in the West Bayfront neighborhood called Bayview Heights (branded in materials as Arc Terrace). Gibbs said the proposal would create about 60 rental units in a mix of townhomes and fourplex "cottage cluster" buildings and asked the commission for feedback before returning for formal site‑plan review.

The presentation matters because the site is in a historic, porch‑oriented neighborhood and the developer proposes a higher density missing‑middle product; commissioners and nearby residents said the design should better integrate porches and street interaction to preserve neighborhood character.

Gibbs said Arteris is under contract for the site, which he described as roughly 2.7 acres bounded between Second and Third and Cherry and Poplar streets in the West Bayfront area. He said the design team includes Opticos (national firm focused on missing‑middle housing) and local architect/engineer representatives from Weber Murphy Fox. Gibbs said the team aims to align the design with the West Bayfront/master plan goals and the city zoning ordinance and that they have an existing partnership with the Erie Community Foundation.

On density and unit mix, Gibbs said the proposal would total about 60 dwelling units and described the density as "28 to half units per acre" (as stated in the meeting). He described the southern portion of the site as organized into townhomes clustered around small courtyards (townhome floor areas described at roughly 1,250–1,300 square feet), and the northern edge as composed of fourplex buildings configured to appear like large single‑family houses. Gibbs said the fourplexes would include two efficient one‑bedroom ground‑floor units (about 525 square feet each, as described in the presentation) and two two‑bedroom units on upper floors (about 950 square feet each, as described).

Gibbs reviewed several zoning and dimensional points from the presentation: the site contains two zoning designations the team identified as WR and R2; they said they are proposing average front setbacks within 5 feet of the street average, building heights below the code maxima (he cited a proposed maximum of 38 feet for townhomes and about 35 feet for fourplexes), and a lot‑cover/area figure that he described in the meeting as "at 26" (the transcript did not provide fixed units for that figure). Gibbs said the team intentionally scaled back building intensity relative to what WR zoning would technically allow in order to better match the adjacent neighborhood character.

Design principles the team emphasized included: placing parking to the rear so it is screened from the street; orienting living areas and porches toward shared green space so each unit has a view of landscaped courtyards rather than parking; and using building forms and materials inspired by nearby historic houses so the new buildings "look like they've been there for a while," in the developer's words.

Commissioners and other meeting participants asked detailed questions. Commissioner Jason Mazorek (who said he is a resident of the West Bayfront) pressed the team on how the plan preserves the neighborhood's porch culture and street interaction. Mazorek said the layout risks allowing future residents to "isolate themselves," observed that the neighborhood celebrates front porches (he referenced the community's "Front Porch Fest"), and warned: "if you were to demolish every block in our neighborhood and replace it with this style, it would fundamentally change who we are. And that's not acceptable to me."

Opticos designer Alex (first name provided in the presentation) said the design intent is to orient the most public interior spaces (living/dining/kitchen) to face the green spaces so there are "eyes on the green space" and social interaction, and he described that as both a safety and community goal.

Gibbs responded that the team is open to revising porch layouts and said the courtyards are intended to be private and maintained by the development ("our intent was to make these essentially restrict the use for the residents of the community that live here," he said). He said the project is being planned as rental housing; Arteris's portfolio target is typically a mix of affordable and market units but for this site the team said they cannot legally or financially commit to deed‑restricted affordable units at this stage. Instead, Gibbs said the project will target workforce households earning roughly 100–130% of area median income and that rents are currently being budgeted at about "a little less than $2 per square foot per month," which he said would translate roughly to the $1,700–$2,300 range depending on unit size (he cautioned these figures are early estimates and may change as design and bids are refined).

Commissioners asked practical questions about trash collection, unit plan details, second egresses for ground‑floor units, and whether porches could wrap around to encourage street activation. Gibbs and design staff said they would refine those items during the next phase of schematic design and engineering, and they asked to return to the commission for formal site‑plan review once those details are developed. Gibbs said the team will incorporate the feedback and seek an early planning commission vote to authorize further engineering spending.

The commission did not take a formal vote on the site plan at the July 15 meeting; members and staff described the presentation as an early step in the land‑development review process and encouraged continued coordination with city staff and the West Bayfront community.