Berks County officials and private‑sector partners presented a three‑year progress report on Imagine Berks on Oct. 30, saying the initiative has helped leverage public and private investment, support housing and small businesses, and will now transition into a county comprehensive plan.

Pam Minnett, Berks County director of community and economic development, told the commissioners that the Imagine Berks strategic economic development action plan was formally adopted in August 2022 and that staff have pursued complementary studies and programs since then. "We still believe that 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, summarized implementation metrics the county is tracking. He said county and state figures show market value in Berks County rose by more than $650 million between 2022 and 2024, and that the county planning commission reviewed roughly 26 million square feet of commercial and industrial development. On housing, Harris said the planning commission reviewed about 5,000 housing units over the last four years, with approximately 3,500 units expected to come online; he noted a significant share of recent and planned units are multifamily projects.

The presentation grouped accomplishments under the plan's focus areas: talent and workforce development, housing, placemaking, small‑business support and agriculture. Minnett and Harris emphasized the county's partnerships with the Berks County Redevelopment Authority, the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) and local training and small‑business organizations as central to the work.

Representing the private‑sector partner GRCA, Erin Gantz said the alliance has worked with about 86 companies across diverse industries that the presenters said represent roughly 12,500 jobs, and that GRCA has committed about $4.7 million in funding to local businesses. Gantz and county staff described programs that support entrepreneurs, including cohort training and small‑business grants. Harris said 67 grants totaling about $147,000 and 43 loans totaling roughly $1.5 million have been made through partner programs noted in the presentation.

Presenters also described investments in placemaking and public access to information. The county-supported local media hub BCTV, the presenters said, published nearly 3,800 stories and drew close to 1 million views since its launch; a county greenways fund of roughly $400,000 has supported 21 projects across the county.

Minnett said the county has used federal and private leverage to amplify project funding and that the Imagine Berks action plan will now become the guiding comprehensive plan document. ‘‘When economic development became more than location, location, location, and it became workforce, workforce, workforce, and then it expanded into where are the people gonna live and it included housing…placemaking became an issue,’’ she said.

Commissioners thanked staff and GRCA for the presentation and for the partnerships that county leaders said are needed to implement the plan at municipal and regional scales. The presentation was followed by routine agenda items and financial reports.

Looking ahead, Minnett directed residents and stakeholders to imagineberks.org for updated materials and said the county will continue coordinating with the planning commission, workforce development board and municipal partners as the county moves the program into the comprehensive‑plan phase.