The Tamaqua Borough will receive just over $2 million from the state Community Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) program this year \u2014 the highest allocation the borough has received since qualifying for the program in 2014.<\/p>\n
The $2,000,819 in funds was announced Monday as part of a $16.2 million package divided between Tamaqua, Bethlehem and Lancaster.<\/p>\n
Dan Evans, Vice Chairman of the Tamaqua CRIZ Authority, says this was the fourth year in a row that the borough\u2019s CRIZ funds have increased.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is directly attributable to the strength of Tamaqua\u2019s business community,\u201d Evans said.<\/p>\n
According to Evans, the funds \u2014 which are expected to reach the Tamaqua authority by Nov. 1 \u2014 will go towards four new projects, as well as reimburse existing projects that have been underway for the past few years.<\/p>\n
Dan Evans (MATTHEW PERSCHALL\/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)<\/p>\n
A decade of investment<\/p>\n
Established in 2013, CRIZ was created with a goal of boosting economic growth in Pennsylvania cities, and is administered by the state Department of Revenue, Department of Economic Development and the Governor\u2019s Budget Office.<\/p>\n
The program identifies communities facing developmental challenges such as blight, and then establishes zones measuring up to 130 acres \u2014 a CRIZ \u2014 within which development efforts will be directed.<\/p>\n
Tamaqua\u2019s CRIZ encompasses the borough\u2019s main business district in downtown Tamaqua, running along Routes 209 and 309.<\/p>\n
Businesses and non-profits located within the CRIZ must file a state and local tax report annually. The portion of reported tax revenue that exceeds a baseline \u2014 determined by the business\u2019 first tax report while involved in the program \u2014 will be returned to the local CRIZ authority to be put towards community projects.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s funds are based on 2024 tax reports.<\/p>\n
In short, increased tax revenue leads to larger returns for the local community.<\/p>\n
As the state Department of Revenue describes, \u201cit is structured to protect the existing state and local tax base.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the reinvestment is intended to create new jobs, spur small business growth and improve the overall local economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince its inception, the CRIZ program has delivered a total of nearly $102 million to participating communities, helping them to attract development, revitalize their downtowns, and bring new jobs to their regions,\u201d an Oct. 20 press release from the state Department of Revenue said.<\/p>\n
In addition to Tamaqua, Bethlehem and Lancaster, two new cities \u2014 Erie and Reading \u2014 were approved for the program at the end of last year. As of Monday, state tax baselines were determined for the two cities\u2019 CRIZ programs, which will begin receiving funding in 2026.<\/p>\n
Tamaqua is the first and only borough involved in the program, and is considered the \u201cpilot\u201d for non-city recipients.<\/p>\n
The St. Luke’s Penn Foundation Mental Health Services building in Tamaqua, pictured Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. The Tamaqua CRIZ authority assisted in the acquisition of the building in 2024. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL\/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)<\/p>\n
Future projects<\/p>\n
Since receiving its first CRIZ allocation in 2015, Evans says Tamaqua has received funding every year, a testament to the borough\u2019s vibrant business community. Last year, the borough received roughly $1.7 million.<\/p>\n
This March, the Republican Herald reported that Tamaqua had received a cumulative $6.7 million in CRIZ funds since 2015. This year\u2019s addition will bring the cumulative total to around $8.7 million.<\/p>\n
According to Evans, the Tamaqua CRIZ Authority receives project applications from local businesses to be considered for funding usage. This year, the authority plans to allocate the funding towards four new projects; the top project is the construction of a new parking lot at the corner of Hunter and Spruce Streets.<\/p>\n
Three acquisitions will also be pursued under the funding, including the potential acquisition of 201 Cedar St.<\/p>\n
Previous CRIZ allocations have enabled the borough to see through various projects, big and small, in Tamaqua\u2019s downtown business district.<\/p>\n
In 2023, a revitalization project of a former furniture factory located at 320 Lafayette St. established the borough\u2019s first overnight lodging, the Bischoff Inn. The inn has since received an award for historic preservation from the nonprofit organization Preservation Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
In March 2024, the authority assisted in the acquisition of 602 Pine St., the site of a new St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network behavioral health center.<\/p>\n
Other projects have included expansion of the Boyer\u2019s Food Market, construction of a new center for Child Development Inc. and restaurant investment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Tamaqua Borough will receive just over $2 million from the state Community Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[4469,8615,128,130,129,6452],"class_list":["post-10765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-criz","tag-dan-evans","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-tamaqua"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}