Presque Isle Gateway plans include redevelopment and streetscape project
Millcreek Township Supervisor and General Authority Dan Ouellet discusses plans to improve the West Eighth/Peninsula area.
Valerie Myers, Erie Times-News
The former Bel-Aire Hotel is being demolished.
The Millcreek Township General Authority voted Tuesday to solicit bids for the work.
The authority purchased the hotel at 2800 W. Eighth Street — and other commercial properties along West Eighth Street near Peninsula Drive — in January 2023 for $7.2 million with the goal of demolishing the buildings and offering the land for development.
The properties are part of Millcreek Township’s Presque Isle Gateway District, where the township seeks to encourage mixed commercial and residential development.
The former Joe Root’s Grill, the Manor Motel, the Sandbar Draft House & Grille and the motel wing of the Bel-Aire were demolished this spring.
Demolition of the hotel was delayed while board members considered whether the building could be used for apartments. Some township residents, including former Millcreek Township Supervisor Sue Weber, had asked board members to explore selling the building for future use as a hotel.
“It was decided that the best option would be to clear the site to allow for more marketable development,” said the authority’s executive director, Matt Waldinger.
The process
Bids to demolish the hotel will be accepted until September 6. The authority is expected to award the demolition contract on September 10.
The hotel is scheduled to be demolished by the end of February. The remaining work, including the demolition of the paved parking lot, is scheduled to be completed by May 31, according to project specifications.
The hotel underwent a $2 million renovation in 2019. Revenues dropped sharply during the pandemic, the hotel filed for bankruptcy in 2021, and closed in May 2022. The Millcreek Township General Authority purchased the property for $4 million.
Still to be clarified: Decision on the Grasshopper Shop
The fate of another property on West Eighth Street that the authority has purchased has not yet been decided. Several residents are calling for the former Grasshopper store to be preserved because it was used as a school as early as 1865.
A consultant is researching the history and use of the building and is expected to present his findings in September.
Contact Valerie Myers at [email protected].
