Big chance: How a federal tax incentive revived a decaying town

Big chance: How a federal tax incentive revived a decaying town

In 2016, the city of Erie, Pa., was in dire straits. As in many Rust Belt towns, the U.S. economy’s transition away from manufacturing in the last decades of the 20th century left Erie’s downtown area hollowed out and largely abandoned.  “They were flop houses, a lot of squatters, fire hazards, not to code, not safe, falling apart, dirt floors in the kitchens of restaurants that were operating in these places, just unbelievable … how bad it was,…