Butler has taken two major steps recently to attract business to the city.

The Butler County Chamber of Commerce entered into a three-year partnership with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development on Monday to help bolster networking and mentoring.

Jordan Grady, executive director for the Chamber said the Allegheny Conference can help the Chamber in writing tax credit grants to attract investors here to make investments or bring businesses to the city.

Vera Krekanova, leader of community development efforts for Allegheny Conference, said the key focus for assisting its partners has been by increasing awareness, knowledge and use of the Neighborhood Assistance Program, which provides tax credits to businesses interested in investing in communities.

“I’m really optimistic that this will help attract some investors or larger organizations to make investments in the city,” Grady said.

Earlier this month, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that Butler’s proposal to be named an “opportunity zone” had been granted. This will allow investors to defer capital gains taxes for a decade if they build or renovate in the zone, which stretches from Washington Street east to the area of Butler Memorial Hospital, and roughly from East Brady Street south to Connoquenessing Creek.

Joe Saeler, director of the Butler County Community Development Corporation, said while a meeting next week between all involved parties will produce more details, investors in the zone can renovate buildings, buy and demolish buildings for new construction, or use other methods to improve the opportunity zone, either commercially or residentially.

He said he hopes to attract significant manufacturing ventures and new multifamily housing, and that all city building code requirements must be met by those who invest in the opportunity zone.

“If you can get some manufacturing with affordable housing, it really creates a good opportunity for people,” Saeler said. “It’s a long time coming.”

Butler should be commended for taking proactive approach to lure new businesses to the city in order to grow the city and county’s economy.