Berks County officials say Imagine Berks has driven millions in local investment, new housing reviews and small-business support

Berks County commissioners heard an update Thursday on Imagine Berks, the county's economic-development strategy adopted in August 2022, and were told the plan has generated measurable local investment and program activity.

Pam Minnett, Berks County director of community and economic development, introduced county staff and partner organizations and said the plan's priorities ' including workforce, housing, agriculture and placemaking ' are being folded into the county's forthcoming comprehensive plan. "Retention and creation of opportunity jobs, which allows career pathways and economic independence for our residents, is critically important," Minnett said.

Derek Harris, the county's economic development coordinator, presented data the county attributed to the State Tax Equalization Board showing market value in Berks County rose by "over $650,000,000 since 2022," and said the planning commission has reviewed roughly 26,000,000 square feet of commercial and industrial development. On housing, Harris said the planning commission reviewed more than 5,000 housing units over the last four years, with approximately 3,500 units coming online; he noted a majority of those recent units were multifamily, which he said expands price-point access for residents.

The presentation also highlighted targeted funds and programs: a $400,000 Greenway fund supporting 21 recreation and amenity projects; 67 Imagine Your Business grants totaling $147,000 through partner programs such as Penn State LaunchBox; and 43 loans through partner loan programs totaling nearly $1,500,000 in investment. Minnett told commissioners that, across focus areas and partner-administered projects (including whole-home repair and small-business lending), the aggregated investments tied to the plan exceed $35,000,000.

Erin Gantz, senior vice president for strategic partnerships at the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance, outlined GRCA's role convening entrepreneurship and resource partners, reporting work with 86 companies that represent about 12,500 jobs and roughly $4.7 million in committed funding. Gantz said nominated regional projects represented about $186,000,000 in investment, 2,600 jobs created or retained, and 1,300,000 square feet of development.

County and partner speakers emphasized that Imagine Berks is intended to be countywide, not focused only on one municipality, and that it will transition into the Imagine Berks comprehensive plan to guide land use and policy. Minnett said the county will continue to rely on partnerships with the planning commission, workforce development board and Department of Agriculture, and that municipalities will be engaged as the comprehensive plan is developed.

The commissioners expressed appreciation for the work and asked staff to keep reporting metrics publicly available through the imagineberks.org site and partner data briefs. The presentation included a planned promotional video and references to marketing tools such as Placer AI and quarterly data briefs used for outreach and to support policy decisions.

The board did not take formal action on individual Imagine Berks projects at the meeting; the presentation served as an informational update and planning transition announcement.