City Revitalization & Improvement Zone (CRIZ)
The City Revitalization & Improvement Zone (CRIZ), created by a state law in 2013, is a special zone that encourages development and revitalization in certain sized communities across the Commonwealth. Lancaster is one of two cities to receive the first designations. The CRIZ consists of approximately 130 acres in Downtown Lancaster and in selected areas in the remaining parts of the City. The Commonwealth created the CRIZ to spur community revitalization by allowing certain state and local taxes to be provided to the CRIZ community through the annual reporting and certification process to help finance redevelopment and new construction opportunities.
The focus of the Lancaster CRIZ Program is on the development of vacant and underutilized properties within the City. The CRIZ Act provides that qualified state and local tax revenues may be used for payment of debt service on bonds or loans issued for the acquisition, improvement and development of qualified capital improvements within the CRIZ. The CRIZ Authority has developed a set of guidelines to assist businesses, developers and other interested parties who may be interested in seeking financing from and through the CRIZ.
CRIZ Tax Reports
As a business and/or property owner located in the CRIZ, your business activity will contribute toward your community’s growth simply by filing the required annual, confidential reports to state and local taxing bodies to ensure that eligible taxes are certified and redirected back to Lancaster.
Business and property owners in the CRIZ will NOT incur any additional taxes as a result of the CRIZ. However, under the CRIZ law, you are required to report the taxes your business already pays and reports to state and local agencies.
CRIZ Authority
The Lancaster CRIZ Authority is a municipal authority appointed and created by the City of Lancaster to oversee the implementation of the Lancaster City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) Program. The CRIZ Program can provide financial assistance to development projects that occur within the 130 acre CRIZ District from eligible state and local tax revenues generated by the project. For more information about the CRIZ Authority, visit www.cityoflancasterpa.com/boards-commissions-and-authorities/criz-authority.
