CRIZ Backs $4.8M Modern Tool Square Renovation

Erie's Community Revitalization Improvement Zone funding will help renovate the 1895 brick building at 333 State St.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Commercial

Weathered red-brick 1895 commercial building facade with tall steel-framed windows and scaffolding under overcast daylight in Erie. — The Community Revitalization Improvement Zone approved $4.8 million in loan funding toward an $8 million renovation of Erie's 1895 Modern Tool Square building at 333 State St. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Community Revitalization Improvement Zone (CRIZ) approved $4.8 million toward an $8 million renovation of Modern Tool Square in Erie. The funding takes the form of a loan that will be repaid from tax revenue increases generated by the building.

Why it matters

The renovation responds to a building with dozens of leaks and a long list of repairs, and the CRIZ structure ties repayment to the tax revenue the project itself generates. Total investment in the Modern Tool project is expected to top $17.2 million.

The CRIZ can generate up to $15 million a year for capital investments by capturing tax increases within a 130-acre area. The $4.8 million loan covers roughly 60 percent of the $8 million renovation, with the balance not detailed in the source.

The players

Community Revitalization Improvement Zone (CRIZ)

A tax-increment financing program that lets the city of Erie capture increases in certain taxes within a designated 130-acre area to fund capital investments.

Dan Laughlin

A Pennsylvania state senator whose district includes Millcreek Township, where he has been involved in local economic development discussions.

The details

Ben Brazinski and Jane Bryndel purchased the brick building at 333 State St. in July 2024, and Josh Amacher joined them as a third partner. The planned work covers 11,000 square feet of commercial space, including a 5,000-square-foot restaurant and patio.

1895: Modern Tool Square building constructed at 333 State St.
July 2024: Brazinski and Bryndel purchased the building.
Last year (2025): Brazinski stated plans to use $4.8 million in CRIZ funds.
November 12: CRIZ approved the $4.8 million investment.

Local Context

The project is one of the CRIZ-backed investments that the city says has driven about $152 million in new private investment in Erie, illustrating how tax-increment financing is being used to revive older commercial buildings downtown.

For Erie residents and downtown businesses, the project adds a restaurant and commercial space to a long-vacant historic building. The loan's repayment from the building's own tax revenue means the project is designed to largely fund itself through growth in the tax base.

The takeaway

Tax-increment financing can make costly historic renovations viable when the tax gains from the finished project are used to repay the investment. Local property owners and developers can watch CRIZ approvals as a signal of where public capital is being directed.