Erie public hearing on Bayfront Market House draws split testimony over sign variance, local access and community benefits

Erie City Council opened a waterfront conditional‑use public hearing Wednesday on a proposed Bayfront Market House and heard a lengthy presentation from the Erie County Convention Center Authority and architects, followed by two hours of public testimony. No final decision was made.

Cooper Moore, a planner in the Department of Neighborhood and Economic Development, told council the Market House is a two‑story mixed‑use building proposed on a lot south of the convention center and that the Design Review Committee and Planning Commission had recommended it to council. "City Council will not make a final decision tonight," Moore said, noting the land‑development review would follow a conditional‑use vote.

Gus Pine, executive director of the Erie County Convention Center Authority, described the Market House as a community hub intended to attract locals and visitors, said the authority owns substantial bayfront acreage and said staff are pursuing an anchor tenant but have not signed a contract. Pine also said the authority plans to use a preferred labor agreement and a workforce inclusion agreement to maximize local and minority participation during construction.

Architect Megan Loney described the design as a two‑story brick and steel building that stays within the 50‑foot height limit but seeks a variance to mount backlit signage above the roof to increase visibility from the parkway. She said the design reduced building height from three stories to two in response to earlier reviews and added masonry details, orientation to pedestrian approaches, and landscaping to soften views.

Public testimony split along several themes. Freda Tepper opposed the sign variance and argued the backlit 50‑foot sign was out of character and could harm migratory birds. She also urged selecting native plants rather than European hybrids. "I do not think that they should get a height variance for the glowing backlit lettering 50 ft high," Tepper said.

Other speakers expressed broader concerns about whether the Market House will serve Erie residents rather than tourists, whether rents and stall costs will allow local vendors such as the Presque Isle fish market to participate, and whether the project should wait for a full mayoral bayfront master plan. Several speakers called for stronger community benefit measures to ensure jobs and sustained local participation. Supporters including Jim Neuber, a member of the Convention Center Authority board, praised the use of a PLA and said it would prioritize Erie County labor and include a 10% minority/women hours inclusion target.

At least one commenter, Donald Way, raised ADA and civil‑rights concerns, alleging the city and police do not sufficiently accommodate people with disabilities; council and staff responded that ADA compliance is a required element of design and that facilities and operators will need to address accessibility.

Council members asked detailed follow‑up questions: whether the Market House will be taxed, how the market will be operated and staffed, sustainability of a consignment model for local goods, details of the PLA and inclusion targets, and how signage would be coordinated with existing convention‑center signage. Authority staff said tenants would be taxable and described plans to consign locally sourced products so small producers would not bear full stall burdens; they reiterated an anchor tenant is still being negotiated.

The hearing closed without a vote; council signaled it will consider the conditional‑use application after the hearing record is complete and after staff provide additional information on tenant arrangements, labor and inclusion commitments, ADA/accessibility measures, and sign proposals.