What are people saying about the Neighborhood Improvement Zone?

Five in a series explaining the Neighborhood Improvement Zone.

What are people saying about the Neighborhood Improvement Zone?

Advocates say the zone will attract businesses, provide jobs for locals, and bring people back downtown. They also predict that the state will ultimately collect more tax revenue from the area than it did before the zone existed.

Some critics say the zone unfairly favors one city over the rest of the state. Others say it will simply shift local entertainment dollars from one part of Allentown to another. And some worry that the development will push downtown property rates so high that lower-income Allentown residents will get priced out of the area.

Did this article answer all your questions about the Neighborhood Improvement Zone? If not, you can reach Marielle Segarra via email at msegarra@whyy.org or through social media @MarielleSegarra. Have a topic on which you’d like us to do an Explainer? Let us know in the comment section below, or on Twitter @PaCrossroads.