Erie Insurance to build 1,000 car parking garage in downtown Erie for employees.
From the Erie Times-News
The Erie Insurance board a week ago approved the construction of the garage, which will go up on more than 2 acres between East Seventh and East Eighth streets and French and Holland streets. Erie Insurance owns a 192-space surface parking lot there now.
Site work is scheduled to start June 1 and construction in July, Erie Insurance said. The company said the project will be done in October 2013.
The 1,000-space garage will dwarf the capacity of Erie Insurance's two existing parking garages, which are several blocks north, near East Fifth and Holland streets (740 spaces) and East Fourth and French streets (428 spaces), according to figures from the company.
The 1,000-space garage will also be larger than any other parking garage in the area, including the 300-space garage next to the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel and the nine parking garages the Erie Parking Authority owns.
The authority's largest garages are at 22 E. Third St., next to UPMC Hamot (609 spaces); 120 W. Ninth St., near Gannon University (563 spaces); 112 E. Third St., next to Hamot (553 spaces); and 2501 Myrtle St., next to Saint Vincent Health Center (536 spaces).
The new Erie Insurance garage will expand its current number of parking spaces by a third, from 2,015 to 3,015, according to company figures.
Of the 2,105 current spaces, 1,168 are located in the two existing Erie Insurance parking garages, said company spokeswoman Leah Knapp, who told the Erie Times-News of the parking-garage plans this week.
She said the 2,015 spaces are reserved for Erie Insurance's 2,000 local employees -- the company is the third-largest employer in Erie County -- as well as for visitors and motorists who use neighboring apartments and businesses.
Erie Insurance employs about 4,400 people nationwide, including the 2,000 in Erie. Erie Insurance since February 2011 has purchased more than 30 parcels near its headquarters, including on the block where the parking garage will go up, as well on blocks to the north and east of its main campus, just east of Perry Square.
In announcing the construction of the parking garage, Erie Insurance, a Fortune 500 company, disclosed its short-term plans without detailing its long-term construction strategy.
The parking garage, however, appears to fit with Erie Insurance's 20-year-plan, which it unveiled in 2002. That blueprint called for Erie Insurance to expand its campus and to boost the workforce at its headquarters to 3,100.
As it continues to develop a master plan for its campus, Erie Insurance is working with the Boston architectural firm of Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc., said Knapp, the Erie Insurance spokeswoman.
She said Erie Insurance has hired Walsh Construction, based in Chicago with an office in Pittsburgh, to build the parking garage.
Erie Insurance officials, Knapp said, will meet with "community leaders, vendors, consultants and others" as the architects come up with a plan for the "best use of space -- landscaped and buildable areas -- throughout our footprint."
"We're looking to provide the right mix of office and meeting rooms and amenities like cafeterias and training facilities," Knapp said in a statement. "One primary need for employees is parking."
Knapp declined to discuss Erie Insurance's building plans beyond the parking garage.
"This effort, and potentially more to come, actively demonstrates Erie (Insurance's) commitment to the community that bears its name and is such an important part of its history," Knapp said in a statement. "Helping to build a vibrant Erie community is essential to the company's success and the many others who live and work in Erie."
The construction of the parking garage exemplifies the patient approach Erie Insurance has taken to acquire land. Though its purchases have accelerated recently, Erie Insurance over the years has bought parcels and held on to them for years, anticipating an expansion.
As of Tuesday, Erie Insurance had purchased five parcels on the site where it will erect the parking garage, the specific plans for which Erie Insurance did not release. Erie Insurance purchased one of the five parcels in 1993 (it is a vacant lot), two in 2005 (both parking lots), one in March (another parking lot) and the fifth (a house) on April 18, according to property records at the Erie County Courthouse. The properties are zoned for commercial use.
The layout of the site indicates Erie Insurance will most likely purchase more land before construction of the parking garage. A house at 115 E. Seventh St. stands in the middle of the site -- and, most likely, in the way of the parking garage.
The house, which Erie Insurance does not own, serves as the office for lawyer David Mack. He declined to comment on whether he was negotiating with Erie Insurance over his property.
Knapp also declined to comment on whether Erie Insurance will buy more land for the parking garage.
"With regard to additional purchases," she said, "I can tell you that we'll continue to purchase properties in our neighborhood to accommodate our future needs and growth, as well as for the benefit of our community."