A project that got mixed reviews when it was announced is moving forward. 

A new building is about to be built next to what’s now the Flagship City Food Hall in downtown Erie.

It will be called Flagship City Commons. It will be built in a space along North Park Row where Coconut Joe’s once stood. 

The goal is to connect the other projects the Erie Downtown Development Corporation has been working on in the area. 

The building will have office and shopping space. It will cost about $22 million, EDDC CEO Drew Whiting said. 

The EDDC’s investment, he said, has inspired others to invest in downtown.

“I subscribe heavily to the 'broken windows theory.' If you’re walking around a place [and] you see the other buildings around you have broken windows and people aren’t taking care of them, you’re less likely to take care of your own yard, too,” he said. “The opposite is also true.”

When the project was announced in 2019, some businesses on North Park Row had to leave. 

Whiting said he understands why people were upset and empathizes with the business owners.

He said redevelopment projects like this one aren’t easy. 

“It’s a hard thing to do and there’s a lot of things in the air at once. Not everything is going to be perfect. The reality is speed matters. If you sit around and wait for everybody to agree on everything, you’re never going to move an inch,” Whiting said. 

Construction will start in a few weeks with the goal of it being completed by the end of 2026.