Mayor Eddie Moran has announced his picks for a task force intended to help Reading achieve state approval for the City Revitalization Improvement Zone program.
The program, also known as CRIZ, was created in 2013 to spur new growth, help revive downtowns and create jobs for the residents.
Reading lost out to other cities for the designation in the past. But city, Berks County and area state officials are working toward success in the next round.
“This is too important for us to sit back and wait and hope we are granted the opportunity,” Moran said Tuesday at a press conference in City Hall. “We need to be prepared to hit the ground running if we are to be one of the communities blessed with a CRIZ designation.”
To that end, the mayor named his appointees to the task force: Debra L. Millman, president of the Greater Berks Development Fund; Peter Rye, president and CEO of Brentwood Industries; and Marisol Torres, Realtor/Associate Broker with United Real Estate Strive 212.
The three bring a wealth of experience and commitment to the table, Moran said.
An area of up to 130 acres comprising parcels for economic development and job creation can be designated as a CRIZ within an approved city.
State and local taxes collected within the zone are used to pay debt service on loans for projects to stimulate economic development in that zone.
“The CRIZ is a crucial tool that will allow us to channel resources into designated areas, fostering development, creating jobs and enhancing the overall quality of life for residents,” the mayor said. “It is a strategic approach to community development.”
The program offers incentives for businesses to invest in the community, fostering job creation, increasing property values and contributing to a stronger local economy, the mayor said. It also can include provisions for affordable housing, and parks, green spaces or cultural amenities that can enhance the quality of life for residents in the area.
“We continue to look for new housing opportunities, as we know affordable homes and apartments are necessary to raise the quality of life for our residents,” Moran said, “and to provide a basis for an expanded workforce, businesses and commercial growth.”
Many dedicated individuals have been instrumental in helping Reading toward achieving the designation, he said, including state Rep. Manny Guzman Jr. and state Sen. Judy Schwank.
“I am proud of the collaborative efforts that have brought us to where we are today,” the mayor said. “Through the hard work of my administration, along with our partners, we have positioned ourselves as a leading municipality to be awarded with CRIZ designation.”
Much of the work needed to bring Reading closer to approval preceded his time in the Legislature, Guzman said, thanking Schwank for taking the lead.
But the work is not done, he said, which is the reason the new task force is needed.
“We want to make sure, this delegation wants to make sure, that the city of Reading is putting its best foot forward, so that on day one we’re able to tap into this huge economic program and tap into the resources on day one and hit the ground running on day one,” Guzman said.
Duties of the task force will include designing parameters for the proposed CRIZ and helping to compile the application to the state Department of Community and Economic Development, he said.
“We’re going to be leaning on this group of individuals to help us build some of the back-end stuff,” Guzman said.
Source: Berkshire mont