ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The city is riding a wave of momentum into 2026, according to its chief executive.
Mayor Matt Tuerk this week delivered two State of the City addresses — Tuesday night at Inkwell and Wednesday at Archer Music Hall.
“The momentum is undeniable.”Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk
“The momentum is undeniable,” Tuerk said as he painted a picture of progress and opportunity, highlighting a slew of changes made and lessons learned in his first term to help set the city up for its “next act.”
Tuerk struck a similar tone to last year’s State of the City address, in which he set the stage for Allentown’s “second act where we … create something stronger and brighter.”
Officials spent much of the mayor’s first term working to overhaul Allentown’s zoning code, which Tuerk said was “written for a different century.”
The extensive rewrite of zoning regulations, which took effect Jan. 1, gives developers more opportunities to “build the type of houses needed most in Allentown: apartments and townhomes,” Tuerk said.
The city now boasts “the most progressive zoning code in all of Pennsylvania,” he said.
And it has a $20 million federal grant — the largest in city history — to support efforts to spur employment and revitalization in some of its poorest neighborhoods.
Allentown’s proposal for the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program was among six winners chosen by federal officials from a pool of 565 applications.
The city’s application includes plans to use federal funding to connect residents to jobs and break down barriers to employment — such as limited access to childcare and transportation — in Franklin Park, Center City and the First and Sixth wards.
“We're going to work to close the transportation gap, make sure that people have access to flexible and affordable childcare and bring good manufacturing jobs to Allentown,” Tuerk said during his Wednesday address.
He also championed securing millions to promote safer streets, better parks and affordable housing in recent years — and the imminent redevelopment of the Allentown State Hospital property into hundreds of homes and more.
Always focused on residents: Mayor
During the speech — in which he repeatedly referred to his “punk rock” roots — Tuerk acknowledged multiple clashes with Allentown City Council during his first term.
He twice battled with members over annual budgets, and lawyers for the administration and council were hours away from meeting in court after a lawsuit over an investigation into claims of discrimination within city government.
“Violence is not eradicated yet, so that work is not even close to done."Mayor Matt Tuerk
Tuerk downplayed those run-ins as “a bumpy ride” with other officials who have the same priorities.
“If you're only reading the headlines, you're missing the big picture,” he said. “Even as we challenged each other, the focus was always on the residents.”
Officials are working to end deaths and serious injuries on city roads by 2030. But “we have a long way to go” after eight people died in crashes last year, Tuerk said.
Much work also remains to make Allentown safer for residents, though violent crime is at “its lowest level in decades,” Tuerk said.
“Violence is not eradicated yet, so that work is not even close to done,” he said after reading a message from a woman who was seriously injured during a fatal shooting at BKK Lounge in February.
“Safety is not just freedom from violence; safety is freedom from fear."
