Port Authority previews master‑plan refresh for former Erie Coke site, flags remediation work and community input
June 03, 2026 | Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania
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Port Authority officials briefed Erie City Council on a "master plan refresh" for the former Erie Coke site, a waterfront parcel the port acquired in 2024, saying the plan frames cleanup and redevelopment options and aims to reflect community priorities.
"This plan is really designed to just kind of create that framework and give us a path forward so that we can start the work of cleaning up and then eventually redeveloping the property," Deputy Executive Director Anna France told council during the presentation.
France said industrial activity has occupied the site for about 185 years and that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is conducting testing and will produce a remediation alternatives analysis — expected this year — to guide cleanup decisions. The port said it is coordinating that technical work with community outreach so remediation and redevelopment proceed together.
Port staff also summarized economic and market findings. They cited a maritime and recreational boating sector that produces roughly $115 million annually for the Erie region and described build‑out scenarios for the site that, depending on phasing and type of development, could yield on‑site permanent jobs in the order of "nearly a thousand" and construction‑period employment in the low thousands. The presentation included a higher‑green option that would preserve about 79 acres of open space, more than double the size of Frontier Park.
The port noted a pending federal allocation — described in the meeting as $2 million — to support demolition of hazardous structures and said it is partnering with the Erie County Redevelopment Authority to pursue next steps. Officials emphasized that DEP testing is ongoing and that the remediation alternatives analysis will provide additional technical direction for any redevelopment.
Councilmembers and the public welcomed the scope of outreach the port reported. "We are continuing to collect feedback," France said, adding that the port has posted the plan and a public‑comment link on its website and that the Port Authority Board had adopted a policy to publish proposals for the site.
The presentation concluded with port officials offering to return for more detailed study sessions and to work with council and the mayor on follow‑up steps. The DEP remediation report and any formal proposals to alter or develop the site are the next milestones identified by port staff.
"This plan is really designed to just kind of create that framework and give us a path forward so that we can start the work of cleaning up and then eventually redeveloping the property," Deputy Executive Director Anna France told council during the presentation.
France said industrial activity has occupied the site for about 185 years and that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is conducting testing and will produce a remediation alternatives analysis — expected this year — to guide cleanup decisions. The port said it is coordinating that technical work with community outreach so remediation and redevelopment proceed together.
Port staff also summarized economic and market findings. They cited a maritime and recreational boating sector that produces roughly $115 million annually for the Erie region and described build‑out scenarios for the site that, depending on phasing and type of development, could yield on‑site permanent jobs in the order of "nearly a thousand" and construction‑period employment in the low thousands. The presentation included a higher‑green option that would preserve about 79 acres of open space, more than double the size of Frontier Park.
The port noted a pending federal allocation — described in the meeting as $2 million — to support demolition of hazardous structures and said it is partnering with the Erie County Redevelopment Authority to pursue next steps. Officials emphasized that DEP testing is ongoing and that the remediation alternatives analysis will provide additional technical direction for any redevelopment.
Councilmembers and the public welcomed the scope of outreach the port reported. "We are continuing to collect feedback," France said, adding that the port has posted the plan and a public‑comment link on its website and that the Port Authority Board had adopted a policy to publish proposals for the site.
The presentation concluded with port officials offering to return for more detailed study sessions and to work with council and the mayor on follow‑up steps. The DEP remediation report and any formal proposals to alter or develop the site are the next milestones identified by port staff.
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