Information provided by David Barr, Director, Community Development, City of Reading & WFMZ
Good news for members working in the City of Reading — a zoning change you’ve been asking for is now official.
Reading City Council recently voted to amend the city’s zoning ordinance to allow adaptive reuse for residential purposes as a “by-right” use in two key districts: the Commercial Core (C-C) and Manufacturing Commercial (M-C). Previously, property owners seeking to convert vacant or underutilized buildings into residential or mixed-use spaces were required to go through a special exception process — a costly and time-consuming hurdle that had discouraged investment and left many properties sitting idle.
Under the updated ordinance, developers can now move forward with residential conversions without needing to seek special approval, putting Reading more in line with surrounding municipalities that have already adopted similar by-right policies.
Read the rest of the article in Property Lines, pg 12