Invest Erie Purchases Parade St. Property

It's now official.  The plot of land located at E. 19th and Parade streets belongs to Invest Erie.  The group plans to build a grocery store on the land as soon as possible.

However, Invest Erie must answer a few more financial questions before receiving a $1 million grant from Governor Ed Rendell.

Officials from Invest Erie presented a check for $119,000 to purchase the plot of land, now they must prove they have the sufficient financing to move forward with the $2.5 million project.

Tuesday afternoon, Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott along with members of Erie City Council met with Invest Erie Officials to discuss exactly where they are with plans to build a grocery store at E. 19th and Parade St.  The groups spoke with officials from Harrisburg, also, where Governor Rendell is waiting for Invest Erie to answer a few more financial questions about the project.  Once all of the official paper work is complete, Governor Rendell will decide whether or not this is a viable project... and then in turn, decide if he should or shouldn't give Invest Erie $1million toward the Parade Street Plaza grocery store.

Invest Erie officials say they have commitment from Save-A-Lot as the anchor tenant, and that they're ready to move ground as soon as Wednesday.

Mayor Sinnott says there are still a lot of questions and concerns that have to be addressed, and the ultimate decision will come from Governor Rendell.  Invest Erie has until July 1st to prove their financial status.