Erie City Council Meeting - March 25, 2026: Public Hearings on Liquor License Transfer and Bayfront Hotel, Housing Concerns
Erie City Council Meeting - March 25, 2026
The Erie City Council convened on March 25, 2026, at 6:30 PM. The meeting included roll call, approval of minutes, and two public hearings: one for an intermunicipal liquor license transfer and another for a waterfront conditional use permit for a new AC Marriott hotel. Public comment periods addressed housing affordability, landlord negligence, and community concerns. The council took no final votes on the hearings, deferring decisions to a later meeting.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes from the March 4, 2026, City Council meeting.
- Approved bills for payment on March 20 and 27, 2026. All members voted yes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Freda Tepfer (Erie resident) reported a mini excavator left on a sidewalk over the weekend by National Fuel, raising safety concerns. She also noted a March 30 deadline for nonprofits to comment on DEI-related federal requirements, and criticized planning commission meeting transparency.
- Jason Brendel (Erie resident) advocated for removing the smokestack on the bayfront before further development, called for transparency on CRIS money spending, and urged the city to address transgender bathroom rights to ensure safety.
- Sharknell Shepherd (lower east side resident) described severe mouse infestation in her rental property despite repeated requests to the landlord. She asked for mandatory extermination mandates and more emergency housing for seniors and disabled persons, noting that 40 people are ahead of her on waiting lists.
- Travia Henderson (public housing resident, 21 years) criticized the Housing Authority's rent calculation (30-50% of income), stating she pays $973–$1,071 for a two-bedroom, leaving little for food and utilities. She called for fair rent policies.
- Elizabeth Stanton (Harbor Creek, representing seniors) cited a Thomas P. Miller housing study: 11% of seniors 65+ live in poverty; rental units under $500 decreased 57% since 2020; units over $1,000 increased 50%. She urged a rapid task force to address housing instability.
- A 71-year-old resident (name not given) reported a rent increase from $650 to $1,000 by an out-of-town landlord, with property maintenance issues (porch, basement, plumbing). She questioned loyalty to long-term residents.
Discussion Items
Public Hearing 1: Liquor License Transfer (Inter-municipal)
- Presenter: Attorney Jim Bruno on behalf of Gary Miller of Bach Miller Enterprises. The license (from former Sandbar Draft House, Millcreek) is proposed for 2104 Hampton Road, Erie. The property was purchased in July 2025. Miller plans a neighborhood bar (7 AM–11 PM, seven days) with karaoke, no live bands, and one security person. He expects to open by July 1, 2026.
- Public Testimony: Freda Tepfer opposed, citing noise, speeding, and expired non-conforming use. Brock Copeland supported, citing blight reduction. One letter from Jessica Carnes opposed.
- Council Questions: Concerns about non-conforming use status and the three-year window for abandonment. Council requested supplemental info from the applicant and zoning office. No vote taken; decision deferred to next meeting.
Public Hearing 2: Waterfront Conditional Use – AC Marriott Hotel
- Presenter: Cooper Moore (city planner) and Brian (Weber Murphy Fox) for Scott Enterprises. The 8-story, 139-room hotel (with 3 restaurants/bars) is part of the Harbor Place master plan. Project cost: $36 million. Expected annual tax revenue: $1.5 million. 120 permanent jobs. Plans include 77,000 sq ft of public open space (exceeding 55,200 sq ft requirement), 28,000 sq ft of restored meadow, bird-safe glass, and warm lighting (2700-3000K).
- Public Testimony: Many opposed: Sue Murawski (bird collisions), Donald McAdoo (timeline, occupancy), Henry Chiapa (public access, wages, infrastructure), Paige Bosniak (light pollution, bird safety, community benefits), Emily Gaudioso (water quality, worker treatment), Cole Shenley (use of CRIS money, mediocrity), Matt Texter (need for community benefit agreements), Freda Tepfer (constitutional environmental rights, exclusionary design), Teresa Imler (affordable housing, parking, pollution). Ed Kissle submitted documents about original park commitments and asked for conditional use enforcement. Support came from Curtis Jones (Erie Regional Chamber of Growth Partnership) citing economic benefits and alignment with zoning.
- Council Questions: Inquired about wages (housekeepers start at $15/hr, front desk $16-17/hr), parking impacts, green space, bird-safe glass details, and connection to original master plan. Scott Enterprises noted no bird collision issues at their Hampton Inn. Council requested reports on air, water, and land impact. No vote taken; decision deferred to future meeting.
Key Outcomes
- No final decisions on either public hearing; votes will occur at a subsequent meeting pending additional information.
- Final passage of Ordinance 192026 (amending zoning to designate Erie Cemetery as a historic site) – unanimous 7-0.
- First reading of Ordinance 16599 (codification update) – unanimous 7-0.
- Moved balance of the agenda – unanimous 7-0.
- Committee reports included updates on land bank, blighted property review, Redevelopment Authority, EMTA trolley press event, and smoke alarm program (Red Cross: 814-830-0942).
- The mayor and council acknowledged housing and landlord issues, pledging to address them in upcoming April conversations.
Meeting Transcript
It is now 6 30, so we will go ahead and call this meeting to order. Roll call for the city council meeting of Wednesday, March 18th, 2026. Councilmember Titus, Brzezinski, Flores, here, Horton, Poll here, Shaw, and True. Present. So this leads us to our moment of silence. Uh and I will ask Councillor Horton if you would please lead us into the pledge when we're done. Thank you. Approval of the minutes from the March 4th, 2026 City Council meeting and bills for payment on March 20th and 27th. Members Rosinski, Lorez, yes, Horton, Poll, yes, Shaw, yes. True. Yeah. Titus. Yes. Okay. We have no presentation this evening, but I would like to remind everybody in the audience that we do have pub two public hearings tonight. Uh, and those will start at approximately 7 p.m. So wherever we are uh within the public comment section, we will have to stop and we will go into those public hearings, and then we can return back to the public comment section. Um so we will go ahead and ask. Is there anybody here for a repository sale? Is there anybody here for a repository sale? Is there anybody here for a repository sale? All right, seeing none, we will move into the public comment section. So when you come up to the mic, I will ask that you say state your name clearly uh for so that we can be recorded in the municipality and to know that you will have five minutes. Please be mindful, we'll have a timer that goes off. Uh, and this is to help keep us on track. So anybody who would like to speak, you can come up, say your name clearly into the mic, and you have five minutes. My name is Freda Tepfer, and I live in Erie, and I was a little distressed to see um a mini excavator sitting on the sidewalk on West 26th Street. I believe it was either Myrtle or Walnut, and it was there all weekend, and then on Monday, National Fuels contractor did close the street and had some work going, but what was the machine doing on our sidewalk all weekend? There was no um detectable warning of any kind coming from the east on the west, there may have been a barricade that fell over. Um I'm seeing things like flagging to show sidewalk closures. Really, we need to take this seriously. People have a right to safely travel in our cities, nowhere's no snow, and I understand that national fuel and the water authority have certain emergency opportunities, but leaving a piece of equipment on the sidewalk all weekend long is just not forgivable. Um I just want to alert the city and any nonprofits that may be hearing me that there's a deadline of March 30th to comment on a general services administration requirement that you have to show how you are not doing any DEI work. Um, if you want to get government contracts or grants, and this applies to cities as well as nonprofits. So I some of us have been sharing that information, but but um if you're a nonprofit, be aware of that. Um so the planning commission meeting agendas do not always show what's gonna happen. The meeting at which the uh waterfront conditional use permit was discussed, there were under waterfront conditional use permit, it says nothing. Um and I watched that meeting today. Also, in trying to find that YouTube event meeting, it was mislabeled. So I hope that the IT department can work that out so that we can find these things. Also, um that there's all this down wood that people cannot expect the city to take away. Well about three feet apart, and there's two rows, a foot and a half apart, and you pile all your sticks and branches and your um stems and stuff from the garden, and you put it there, and it's a dead hedge and it's habitat, and then you don't have anything to worry about. So it's a great opportunity for that. Um you'll be hearing more from me in the hearings. Thank you. Good evening, council and Madam Mayor and Madam Mayor's administration. Um I thought this was a public hearing, um, but it turns out that's a city council meeting. So I'm gonna try to make this short. One, um, I would like to see Jason. Can you state your name for the record?
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