Sitting right on one of the largest lakes in the world, the Erie region is rich in maritime culture, boasting beautiful tall ships, a deep naval history and miles of the state\u2019s only beaches.<\/p>\n
But since the Erie Coke Plant shut down in 2019 after decades of environmental violations, an opportunity opened along Erie\u2019s bayfront, leaving the door open for new development in the region\u2019s maritime hub.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the Erie Western PA Port Authority, who owns the site, heard a proposal from Gem City Shipbuilding, an organization aiming to transform the property into a U.S. Navy shipyard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look forward to hearing more from them on what the real next steps are. For the board, it was all about learning more about what\u2019s being said out there in the community with this Gem City Shipbuilding company,\u201d said Julie Slomski, Executive Director of the Erie Western PA Port Authority.<\/p>\n
\u2018Let off easy\u2019 \u2013 Erie Coke sentenced to $700,000 fine in violation of Clean Air Act <\/a><\/p>\n In the presentation, Gem City Shipbuilding\u2019s spokesperson said the project could cost anywhere between $250 million to $750 million, funded both privately and publicly.<\/p>\n As for what it could bring to Erie, one resident said it could bring jobs to the area.<\/p>\n \u201cThis would be a really good thing for Erie. We need this industry. As you know, our population is declining and we need something to buoy that. We\u2019re here on the Great Lakes, and I think this is the perfect opportunity to do it,\u201d said Grant Filbeck, Erie County resident.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Gem City Shipbuilding said the shipyard could offer educational opportunity, boost community development and help the country get a leg up on China, who they said are building more naval ships than the U.S. at a faster rate.<\/p>\n But taking on the challenge of revitalizing the Erie Coke site is easier said than done.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a heavily contaminated site. The DEP just released their report last week, they\u2019re going to continue monitoring and obviously sampling there on the site, but it\u2019s going to take quite a while there to clean the site up,\u201d said Slomski.<\/p>\n Slomski said it could take decades to clean up the site, and there\u2019s still a long road to remediation.<\/p>\n Public weighs in on future of Erie Coke site <\/a><\/p>\n But the naval shipyard proposal has already caught the eye of a U.S. Congressman, who said it\u2019s feasible if put together the right way.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything that I look at is, \u2018How many jobs? What does it do for our community? Does it bring revenue in or does it take revenue out?\u2019 And in this case, for Erie, we can get back to where we were before,\u201d said U.S. House Representative Mike Kelly.<\/p>\n Kelly said the next steps are putting together a solid plan that looks good, feels good and offers a great return for Erie.<\/p>\n If you would like to learn more about the Erie Coke site and where it stands, you can find more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n