Good news abounded during the Inaugural Pottstown Progress Luncheon on Wednesday, writes Brad Rhen for Reading Eagle.

“It’s an exciting time,” said Pottstown Borough Manager Mark Flanders. “I believe we’re on the verge of something very big.”

The event, presented by Pottstown Area Industrial Development and the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce, was attended by around 200 people.

According to Chamber president Eileen Dautrich, the event was held in response to the growing interest in Pottstown and the positive things happening there.

During his talk, Flanders stated that one of the obvious signs of the changes in Pottstown is real estate prices. He pointed out that according to a report from Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation, between the fourth quarter of 2015 and the same period of 2016, Pottstown’s median real estate price went up by 26 percent.

“More good news, in the past two years: just a little over $5 million in property investments occurred in our downtown,” said Flanders.

In addition, he noted that Pottstown Borough Council is currently working on a land-banking ordinance that would help move blighted and tax-delinquent properties to developers who can then do something with them instead of having them sit vacant.

Read more about the luncheon at Reading Eagle by clicking here.