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Erie's Black Wall Street seeks variance for Parade Street meeting space; board seeks narrow conditions and tables vote
Summary
Dr. Rhonda Matthews requested a use variance to allow meeting/assembly space at 1616–1618 Parade Street for Erie's Black Wall Street; the board questioned the fit of 'commercial recreation' in C4 zoning and tabled the request for further clarification and possible narrowly tailored conditions.
Dr. Rhonda Matthews, representing Erie's Black Wall Street, asked the Erie Zoning Hearing Board for a limited use variance to allow a primary professional‑services nonprofit use at 1616–1618 Parade Street with a secondary, narrowly defined meeting/assembly function for small community events, nonprofit meetings and educational programming. The board tabled the request after seeking clearer hardship documentation and discussing how to limit permitted assembly activities.
On behalf of the applicant Matthews said the project is part of neighborhood revitalization and that the building has a long history as a community meeting space — it formerly housed Prince Hall and NAACP activities and other neighborhood organizations. She described the intended use as primarily professional services for the nonprofit, with occasional rentals or reservations for other small nonprofits or meetings.
Vice president Dalen Hooks told the board the group does not plan large commercial events, concerts or other high‑intensity activities; the applicants said the request is to align occupancy and building‑code needs while preserving legacy assembly uses. Solicitor Lydia Caparosa explained that the zoning code’s definition of "commercial recreation" covers a wide range of activities, including indoor concerts, skating rinks and other higher‑intensity uses; she and the board discussed granting a variance tied to narrowly written conditions that would bar concerts, skating rinks and similar activities, and require the applicants to return if they seek to expand beyond the uses described in their application.
Board members focused on the variance standard requiring a hardship: they asked why the property could not reasonably be put to another permitted C4 use such as professional services without the commercial recreation label and requested more information on costs and use limitations. The applicants said converting the building to alternate permitted uses would exceed their budget and would not reflect the community programming they intend to offer.
No members of the public registered opposition in the record. After a brief executive session the board moved to table the appeal for additional information and to allow staff and applicants to prepare potential limiting conditions. The board did not grant the variance at that meeting; Amy Francis will notify the applicants about the next available agenda.
