The City of Erie is still trying to lure a grocery store to the downtown area.

Mayor Joe Schember said getting a supermarket to locate downtown was one of the biggest issues he heard from residents while campaigning door-to-door.

He said a grocery store would not only help people who are currently living downtown, but it would also attract more people to live downtown.

Schember said there are plans for a small grocery to locate in the new EMTA building between French and Peach Streets, but the market would not open for another year or two.

"We definitely need grocery availability in downtown Erie," said Schember. "A lot of people live down here now. We're looking to bring a lot more market rate housing to downtown. Mostly millennials live in those apartments. They need a place to shop as well."

Erie only has a few major places to shop for groceries within the entire city limits.

Three of those are operated by Tops Markets, the company that filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday. The others are Walmart, Super Price Choppers/Erie County Farms and Save-a-Lot.

Copyright 2018 Erie News Now. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.