From Vision to Reality
Imagine Berks
In August 2022, the Board of Commissioners adopted Berks County’s first Strategic Economic Development Action Plan, IMAGINE Berks. The plan provides a guide for thoughtful decision-making about our economic prosperity, identity, and sustainability with three years of actionable goals and strategies.
What Drives IMAGINE Berks?
What does the Department of Agriculture, Workforce Development Board (WDB) and the Berks County Planning Commission (BCPC) have in common? They are all departments underneath the Department of Community and Economic Development in Berks County. That explains their connection, but what do they all have in common? Each of these departments oversee some of the biggest factors affecting the County’s future, our land use policies, workforce strategies and development pipeline.
Under the umbrella of IMAGINE Berks, which started out as the county strategic economic development plan, we identified the importance of housing, infrastructure, agriculture, placemaking, and the built environment, all the things that make up the fabric of Berks County and who we are as a community. This website is intended to showcase the interconnectedness of these departments, the work they do, and what it means to the future of Berks County. Stay tuned and help us continue to IMAGINE Berks.
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The Latest News
Discover our county’s bold plan to drive transformative change with innovative strategies, focusing on sustainable infrastructure and community empowerment. Stay engaged as we roll out measurable initiatives to build a thriving, inclusive future for all.
Berks Community Forum: IMAGINE Berks Comprehensive Plan & Housing
Catch up on the latest IMAGINE Berks news from the Berks Community Forum. This highlights the current status of the Comprehensive Plan and touches on an update about housing.
‘Field to Table’ dinner celebration held in a soybean field
A surprisingly fitting definition of agriculture is found in Berks County, Pa. WOMELSDORF, Pa. — Like any successful crop, the Berks County Farm Bureau’s inaugural Field to Table Dinner began with a seed: What if people could enjoy a field-to-table dinner in the...
4.4% Unemployment—So Are We Doing Well or Not?
The most recent jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows a 4.4% unemployment rate for Berks County. How do we know if that is good, bad or neither? (for reference Pennsylvania is .1% lower and the US is .1% higher). Okay, so our rate is...