York City Revitalization and Improvement Zone Authority (CRIZ)

York CRIZ Authority
101 S. George St.
York, PA 17401
Contact: Tommy Williams, Acting Business Administrator
Email: tray@yorkcity.org
Phone: (717) 849-7026

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. State and local taxes collected within the CRIZ will be used to repay debt service to stimulate economic development projects within the zone. The CRIZ area consists of 130 acres of parcels designated for economic development and job creation within the City of York. The parcels being considered in the CRIZ include vacant, desolate, underutilized, and abandoned properties that are ready for redevelopment. These developments will help to create jobs, increase personal income, grow local and state tax revenues, and improve the overall quality of living for residents. The CRIZ is administered by York City Revitalization and Improvement Zone Authority (YCRIZA). CRIZ is primarily to create a financing mechanism that will support the continued economic growth in the downtown and neighborhood commercial hubs.

Benefits Include:

Helping businesses remain competitive or increase competitiveness.
Increased property values.
Businesses will benefit from the public improvements in the zone, including cleaner, safer areas.
Businesses will benefit from the indirect impacts of increased visitors and customers.
Businesses will benefit from having a downtown and commercial hubs where residents can live, work, play and shop and which will attract a diverse population of new residents that can also be a source for the City’s workforce needs and increased business traffic.

Purpose

The purpose of the CRIZ program is to spur new growth in cities that have struggled to attract development, helping to revive downtowns and create jobs for the residents in the regions. Vacant, desolate, underutilized or abandoned space will be developed, thereby creating jobs, increasing personal incomes, growing state and local tax revenues, reviving local economies and improving lives of city residents and visitors.

City of York Qualifications for CRIZ

The City of York is a third class city with a population of at least 30,000 based upon the most recent federal decennial census, and has not had a receiver appointed under Chapter 7 of the Act of July 10, 1987 (P.L. 246, No. 47).

Requirements for Appointments of Members to the Board of the York CRIZ Authority

All members of the Board for the Authority shall be appointed in accordance with the Municipality Authorities Act (53 Pa.C.S.A. 5601, et seq), and York City Ordinance 181.01.

The Board for the Authority will consist of seven members. Each member shall have residency, which is defined in the Municipality Authorities Act as someone who is a taxpayer in, maintains a business in or is a citizen in the City or in one of the municipalities to which one or more projects of the Authority extends or is to extend or which one or more of the projects has been or is to be leased (53 Pa.C.S.A. 5610(b)). The Mayor of the City of York shall nominate three (3) members; the State Representative from the 95th District shall nominate one (1) member; and the remaining members of the York County delegation to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, specifically the Representatives from the 47th, 92nd, 93rd, 94th, 193rd, and 196th Districts shall collectively nominate three (3) members. All nominees must then be approved by York City Council.

Members of the Board’s terms of office shall commence on the effective date of their appointment. Two members shall serve for one year, two for two years, one for three years, one for four years and one for five years commencing with the first Monday in January next succeeding the date of incorporation or amendment. Their terms shall be staggered in a similar manner for terms of one to five years from the first Monday in January next succeeding. Thereafter, whenever a vacancy has occurred by reason of the expiration of the term of any member, the nominating body/office shall nominate a member of the board for a term of five years from the date of expiration of the prior term to succeed the member whose term has expired for approval by York City Council.

Successor.–Members shall hold office until their successors have been appointed and may succeed themselves. A member may be removed for cause by the court of common pleas of the county in which the authority is located after having been provided with a copy of the charges against him for at least ten days and after having been provided a full hearing by the court. If a vacancy shall occur by reason of the death, disqualification, resignation or removal of a member, the Mayor shall nominate and City Council shall appoint a successor to fill his unexpired term.

Quorum.–A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum of the board for the purpose of organizing and conducting the business of the authority and for all other purposes, and all action may be taken by vote of a majority of the members present. The board shall have full authority to manage the properties and business of the authority and to prescribe, amend and repeal bylaws, rules and regulations governing the manner in which the business of the authority may be conducted and the powers granted to it may be exercised and embodied. The board shall fix and determine the number of officers, agents and employees of the authority and their respective powers, duties and compensation and may appoint to such office or offices any member of the board with such powers, duties and compensation as the board may deem proper.

Removal.–Unless excused by the board, a member of a board who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the board may be removed by the appointing municipality up to 60 days after the date of the third meeting of the board which the member failed to attend.

Powers of the CRIZ Authority

Designating Zones: The authority may designate a zone where a structure or complex of structures to be used for commercial, sports, exhibition, hospitality, conference, retail, community, office, recreational or mixed-use purposes may be constructed, reconstructed or renovated. Construction includes infrastructure and site preparation.

Providing or borrowing money for the following purposes:
1. Development or improvement within a zone.
2. Construction, including related site preparation and infrastructure, reconstruction or renovation of a facility within a zone that will result in economic development according to the state-approved zone plan.

Duties of the CRIZ Authority

Preparing a list of qualified businesses and construction contractors. The list must include:
1. The name of each entity.
2. The CRIZ address of each business.
3. The mailing address of each business.
4. State tax identification number of each business.
5. The parcel number of each business.
6. A map of the zone including parcel numbers.

Filing the list of qualified business and construction contractors with the Pennsylvania Revenue Department by June 1 following the end of the baseline year and for every year thereafter. If the list is not timely provided to the Revenue Department, no state tax will be certified by the department to be transferred to the CRIZ for the prior calendar year.

Hiring an independent auditing firm to perform an annual audit, to be maintained by the contracting authority for the duration of the CRIZ, verifying all of the following:
1. The correct amount of the eligible local tax was submitted to the local taxing authorities.
2. The local taxing authority directly transferred to the Pennsylvania Treasurer the correct amount of eligible local tax for deposit in the CRIZ Fund.
3. The state and local tax dollars transferred to the CRIZ Fund were properly expended by the contracting authority.
4. If restricted funds or excess funding was requested by the contracting authority and approved by the commonwealth, that such funding was requested appropriately under Section 1812-C of the Tax Reform Code.

The Authority shall consider the positive effects for employment opportunities for the citizens of York City.

  • CRIZ Authority Members
    1. Charles Bacas, County Delegation – Term expires the first Monday of January 2020
    2. Larry Homsher, County Delegation – Term expires the first Monday of January 2020
    3. Patti Stirk, County Delegation – Term expires the first Monday of January 2019
    4. VACANT, Mayor Appointment – Term expires the first Monday of January 2026 (To fill unexpired term of Carl Anderson)
    5. Kendall Menzer, Mayor Appointment – Term expires the first Monday of January 2021
    6. VACANT, Mayor Appointment – Term expires the first Monday of January 2022 (To fill unexpired term of Robert Pullo)
    7. VACANT, 95th District State Rep Appointment – Term to expire the first Monday of January 2023
  • Meetings

    Meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. at

    City Council Chambers
    101 S. George St.
    York, PA.

    The Authority shall set aside, on an annual basis, a minimum of 15% of the funds received from the state and York City to be put toward city infrastructure projects as approved within the state’s CRIZ guidelines.

    For more information contact:
    Michael Doweary – Business Administrator
    Phone: (717) 849-2263
    tray@yorkcity.org

  • York CRIZ Authority Minutes

    Minutes are the official record of the proceedings of the authority and serve as the permanent record of its actions. Minutes, in general, include the date, time and place of meetings, the names of members of the authority and other officials present, the substance of all official actions taken by the authority, as well as the vote on official actions, and the names of citizens who appeared officially and the subject of their testimony. Minutes are not verbatim transcripts.

    Meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m.
    City Council Chambers
    101 S. George St.
    York, PA.

    For more information contact:
    Michael Doweary, Business Administrator
    Phone: (717) 849-2263 Email: tray@yorkcity.org

    Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only.
    If you need official copies of any City documents, you must obtain such official copies through the Right-to-Know process.

  • FAQ's

    What is CRIZ?
    The CRIZ is the City Revitalization and Improvement Zone that was created through State Legislation, Act 52 of 2013 as a tool for city revitalization.

    Who controls CRIZ?
    The CRIZ is managed by City of York’s CRIZ Authority, which is an independent authority of the Commonwealth that was created to manage the revitalization efforts in the CRIZ.

    How is the CRIZ funded?
    The CRIZ is funded using selected State and Local CRIZ attributable taxes that are credited to the CRIZ fund. The CRIZ Authority then allocates these resources through their project guidelines to assist in financing economic development efforts.

    How long will the CRIZ last? Is there a time limit on the CRIZ or will my business always be in the CRIZ?
    The CRIZ legislation allows for the zone to be in existence for up to 30 years, or when the purpose of its creation is fulfilled or the bonds retired.

    Why does the City of York need a CRIZ?
    The City of York needs a CRIZ to provide for comprehensive and strategic economic development of the downtown and neighborhood commercial hubs with sufficient financial means to execute the revitalization.

    Do I have to report? What happens if I don’t do it?
    Yes. This is a legislative requirement and must be completed accurately and on time (on or before June 15th annually). If you do not comply, a penalty, which is the lesser of 10% of all eligible tax due to the taxing authority in the prior calendar year, or $1000, will be assessed by the State Department of Revenue so please file on time.

    What do I have to report, by when, and why?
    Business owners within 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.

    Where does the money go?
    The amounts that are reported each year are reviewed by the state and local taxing bodies and the amounts certified by those taxing bodies are sent to the City of York CRIZ Authority to use according to the legislation and their project guidelines and approval process.

    How will being in the CRIZ affect my employees?
    The CRIZ will not affect your employees. Any requirements your employees had prior to CRIZ creation will not be affected by the CRIZ.

    If you or someone in your organization would like to speak to us about CRIZ, please contact:
    Bureau of Economic Development
    Phone: 717 -849-2264.

    Being a business in the CRIZ means that your businesses will benefit from the continued economic growth of the City in various forms, such as increased property values, improved public improvements, increased sales traffic as redevelopment takes place, and the ability to apply to the City of York CRIZ Authority for funding for additional projects should your business wish to expand.

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