The Erie Land Bank continues to tackle blight in the City of Erie.

Just last week, a former restaurant and bar were demolished on West 5th Street thanks to the work of the Erie Land Bank. Members of the bank met on Monday and announced that two properties have been sold to neighboring owners.

One vacant lot on East 7th Street and another property located on East 18th Street have been sold. A member of the Erie Land Bank said it’s important to remove blight from the city to uplift communities.

“There are blighted properties everywhere. There are blighted properties on the south, the west, the east — they’re everywhere. We’ll continue to work through it. As we develop the work plan for 2023, we’re going to focus on areas where those needs are and where the funding can be best utilized,” said Aaron Snippert, executive director, Erie County Redevelopment Authority (ECRDA).

There are an additional 20 properties in the City of Erie that the ECRDA is looking into.