State Lawmaker Advocates to Get CRIZ Designation for Reading
(Reading, PA) -- A state lawmaker is trying to get a CRIZ designation to help the City of Reading with revitalization efforts. Representative Manny Guzman, a Democrat who represents the 127th District, is asking the state to help Reading gain a City Revitalization and Improvement Zone, or CRIZ, designation. State and local taxes collected within such a zone can be used to repay debt service to stimulate economic development projects. Guzman argued in a letter Thursday that now is the perfect time for the city to kickstart its revitalization because the population is growing and businesses need help to be more competitive.