In November, Catasauqua along with Coplay and Whitehall, submitted an application to the state requesting permission to designate certain projects as tax-incentivized zones, formally known as the Community Revitalization and Improvement Zone.

Howard Lieberman, executive director of the Whitehall Township Industrial & Commercial Development Authority, spearheaded the effort and prepared the applications under an informal intermunicipal agreement. In January, the state formally declined the authority's application.

"It [the rejection] may not be as bad as it sounds," said Catasauqua Borough Manager Eugene Goldfeder.

For Catasauqua, the CRIZ designation would be used for the borough's recently acquired distressed property on Front Street. According to Goldfeder, the rejection was not unexpected.

"If you look at what they did, they only granted the CRIZ to two cities [Bethlehem and Lancaster] and did not even implement anything for boroughs," he said.

The original proposal called for a pilot project for boroughs and townships with one grantee in the state.

"Two things to consider," explained Goldfeder, "CRIZ is geared to new business opportunities. Our project has a government and residential component to it which doesn't benefit from CRIZ."

Goldfeder said the properties were reviewed by the state.

"Getting people to know what we have is important," he said.

Goldfeder alluded to a Spillman Farmer architects proposal for development of the property, now being designed.

"I am expecting that the borough will get a very complete package that will be researched to determine the best use for the [Front Street] property," he said.

Goldfeder is also looking at the upcoming Riverfront Symposium as a way to get the property's potential noticed.

"We have a great recreational resource in the river that we are not using effectively," he said.

Goldfeder envisions marinas with boat rentals, river cruises and hiking and biking trails that will bring service concessionaire businesses to the borough.