June 13--Erie Insurance Group is one step closer to building the region's largest parking garage.

WHAT HAPPENED: The planned 1,000-space parking garage is to be built on more than 2 acres between East Seventh and East Eighth streets and French and Holland streets, fronting East Eighth Street. Erie Insurance owns a 192-space surface lot there now.

The Zoning Hearing Board on Tuesday approved a variance allowing Erie Insurance Group to set the planned 1,000-space parking garage back 20.8 feet from the East Eighth Street property line. The property is in a zoning district that mandates a zero setback.

What it means: The setback allows Erie Insurance to build the ramp on more level land, and to build a driveway into the structure that would accommodate cars waiting to drive into the ramp, said Mike Glass, a representative of the company.

The ramp will be open during the day for permit parking by Erie Insurance employees and neighboring businesses, and at night for Erie Insurance Arena events, Glass said.

WHAT'S NEXT: Construction of the 390,000-square foot, six-level ramp is expected to start Aug. 1 and be done by late fall 2013, Glass said. The company has not disclosed the cost of the ramp and declined to do so Tuesday.

The garage will expand Erie Insurance's number of parking spaces from 2,105 to 3,015.

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