Planning Commission forwards Twelfth Street reimagine plan to council after divided comments

The Erie Planning Commission voted May 20 to forward the Twelfth Street reimagine plan to City Council for consideration, after a contentious discussion in which several commissioners said the plan covers only a small segment of Twelfth Street and should not be adopted as-is.

Commissioners raised two consistent criticisms: that the plan’s study area covers only a portion of the full Twelfth Street corridor and that some recommended changes could shift costs to taxpayers rather than private property owners. Other commissioners and city staff argued the Twelfth Street plan includes complete‑streets design elements — wider sidewalks, tree plantings and intersection improvements — that are consistent with the newly adopted Safety Action Plan and could serve as models for other parts of the corridor.

A consultant who assisted with the Safety Action Plan said many pedestrian and intersection recommendations in the Twelfth Street plan align with the safety plan’s findings, though narrowing the street more broadly could be infeasible in parts of the corridor because of current traffic volumes and anticipated land uses. Several commissioners urged that Twelfth Street design decisions be coordinated with the Safety Action Plan and with a future citywide Complete Streets policy.

A motion to forward the Twelfth Street reimagine plan to City Council passed on a voice vote; at least one commissioner recorded a “nay” during the roll call and several commissioners stated they did not support adoption in its current form.

City staff said forwarding the plan to council does not finalize design decisions and that future council and staff work would be expected to reconcile scope, funding and design details across the corridor.