READING, Pa. – Reading City Council voted Monday night to apply for a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation multimodal grant in the amount of $3 million.

The purpose of the funds would be for a proposed project to convert the existing bus bay configurations into more efficient on-street parking that would increase parking availability and improving the overall streetscape.

The multimodal grant, if awarded, requires a 30% local match, which would be supported by the capital improvements projects budget.

The proposed project would maintain mid-block crosswalks to provide a safer and more accessible pedestrian area along Penn Street.

The improvements would strengthen the downtown vitality by enhancing walkability and facilitating convenient access to local storefronts and services, the city says.

The project is consistent with other downtown corridor projects, including the comprehensive plan of 2000, the Reading downtown strategic plan of 2001 and the city’s improvement zone plan of 2024.

Moratorium on parking tickets

In other business, council voted to adopt an ordinance to place a six-month moratorium on the issuance of parking violations for the ‘no parking’ restrictions at the intersections at North Fifth Street and Oley Street and North Fifth Street and Douglass Street.

Councilmember Chris Miller said the action is meant to be consistent with a similar ordinance approved last year to place a six-month moratorium on parking fines associated with the no-parking zones on Hampden Boulevard at its intersections with College Avenue and Richmond, Amity and Perry streets.

In both districts, the issue came about from complaints from residents who feel the parking restrictions are too restrictive.

Miller said he estimates that the no-parking zones created at the intersection resulted in the removal of 12 to 16 parking spaces at each of the intersections on North Fifth Street.

Conditional use

Also Monday, council voted 4-2 to deny a conditional use application that had requested the conversion of a single-family dwelling at 1123 N. 12th St. into a two-unit rental property.

Council held a public hearing on the matter last month.

Councilmembers Vanessa Campos and Rafael Nunez casted dissenting votes.