Reading has earned state designation as a City Revitalization and Improvement Zone, or CRIZ, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration announced Monday.
This milestone positions the city to advance its economic development goals by revitalizing downtown spaces, attracting new businesses and creating jobs for local residents, Reading officials said in a release.
“Securing the CRIZ designation for Reading is a transformative step for our city,” Mayor Eddie Moran said in a statement. “This achievement reflects our shared commitment to revitalizing our downtown, attracting new investment and creating opportunities for all residents.”
The CRIZ program enables designated areas to reinvest state and local taxes collected within the zone into economic development projects, paving the way for a stronger and more vibrant community.
The city submitted its CRIZ application in October to the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
Moran credited the support of the city’s CRIZ Authority, City Council, state Reps. Johanna Cepeda-Freytiz and Manny Guzman, and state Sen. Judy Schwank for the application’s success.
Schwank in a statement emphasized the importance of the designation.
“The city of Reading is gaining a powerful new tool we can use to foster economic growth and breathe new life into our community,” she said.
It took a lot of hard work to reach this point, she said, expressing her thanks to all those at the city level who spent many hours working on the application and preparing a detailed vision for how a CRIZ will be put to good use in the community.
Although the team is celebrating the achievement, Schwank noted, the work is not finished.
“There is still much work ahead for our CRIZ Authority in making sure we are using this tool to the best of our ability and moving the city of Reading towards a brighter future,” she said.
Guzman, an ardent champion of a Reading CRIZ, also acclaimed the designation.
“We are going to welcome 2025 with renewed hopes in our beloved city,” he said. “This CRIZ designation is the tool we needed to kick-start a revitalization, a comprehensive approach to community development.”
Among many benefits, he said, the designation will allow the city to level-up its game to meet the expectations and needs of young professionals and entrepreneurs.
“Let’s seize the opportunity,” Guzman said.
As the city embarks on this new chapter, local leaders said they will remain focused on leveraging the CRIZ program to deliver meaningful, long-term benefits for residents.
The CRIZ Authority pledged to work diligently to ensure the program is implemented effectively, ensuring that every investment contributes to the revitalization and prosperity of the community.
Reading along with Erie are the only two cities to achieve designation under the Shapiro administration’s bipartisan budget for fiscal year 2024-25.
The governor paved the way to restart the CRIZ program earlier this year when he signed the budget into law and opened the program to qualified communities for the first time since 2013.
“My administration worked across the aisle to restart the CRIZ program for the first time in more than a decade and create real opportunity in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said in a statement. “This designation will help Erie and Reading attract new businesses, create more jobs and reach their full economic potential.”
A CRIZ is an area of up to 130 acres — comprised of parcels designated by a contracting authority — that provide economic development and job creation within a political subdivision. State and local taxes collected within the CRIZ are used to stimulate economic development projects within the designated area. The CRIZ program is administered by the Departments of Revenue, and Community and Economic Development and the Governor’s Budget Office.
“This is all to stimulate the local economy with targeted efforts to reduce unemployment, attract investment and offer better opportunities for investors as well as residents,” Moran said.
The designation has the potential to produce $300 million in economic activity in Reading, the mayor said.
But don’t expect it to happen overnight, he noted.
“This is a 30-year plan,” he said. “It’s about turning vacant lots into thriving spaces and transforming outdated areas into new offices, retail space, housing and restaurants. It’s about changing lives and creating opportunities for all city residents.”
Reading’s proposed zone is made up of noncontiguous parcels in different parts of the city, including several former industrial sites, such as the Glidden Paints site on Bern Street. It also includes about 30 acres in the downtown Penn Street corridor, about 17 acres in the Canal Street area and close to 15 acres on Washington Street.
The CRIZ Authority in December revised the map to eliminate the riverfront and include the former Dana Corp. site on Clinton Street.
The targeted areas may shift over time, the mayor said, noting he will continue to push for development of the city’s riverfront whether it is included.
“We want to make sure we capitalize on underutilized districts to attract private investment,” Moran said, explaining the late changes.
The former industrial sites fit that category, Moran said.
“We want to create new business activity in those areas that we have targeted,” he said. “And of course, overall, improve the quality of life for residents in and around the surrounding areas.”
The mayor said his aim, as always, is to position Reading for economic success.
“The CRIZ designation will provide us with the tools to unlock our potential, strengthen our community and build a brighter future for generations to come,” he said. “Together, we’re proving that Reading is ready for our next chapter.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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