Castlewood residents take step forward with Reading planners | Reading Area

READING, Pa. –  The Reading Planning Commission voted Tuesday night to finalize a stormwater management agreement between the city and the residents of the Castlewood Subdivision.

The action marks a milestone in a long, drawn-out process for the residents of the 40-year-old development near Hill Road, who want to have the two streets in the development dedicated to the city.

In early 2025, the planners voted to recommend that Reading City Council approve the dedication of the streets, but a sticking point was stormwater management.

The issue has been a topic of discussion for many years between the homeowners and the city to determine if Kings Way and Queens Court can be dedicated to the city.

The city wanted the stormwater management portion of the streets to be maintained by the homeowners or the homeowners association.

The pipes and the swales that eventually go into the two basins next to the road are now the city’s responsibility.

With the stormwater management agreement now signed, the matter can be brought before City Council to vote on dedicating Kings Way and Queens Court.

When a city dedicates a street in a development, it assumes responsibility for all maintenance, road work and snow removal.

BCIU stormwater

In another matter, the planning commission reviewed a stormwater management proposal from the Berks County Intermediate Unit for a property at 2101 Centre Ave.

An engineer from Wilkinson Design Group LLC,explained that the BCIU has building permits for interior renovations at the buildings on the property, which are currently underway.

The problem arises from the fact that there is no storm sewer anywhere on that site, which sits on the Muhlenberg Township side of the border with the city.

The plan being proposed is to collect stormwater and pipe it away from the building by diverting it into an underground infiltration basin.

The water would then runoff towards Route 61.

But in the event of a major flooding storm, the water would be retained in the basin and released gradually after the storm event.

The planners agreed to send a letter to Muhlenberg Township to gain input from its planning commission and to determine some sort of intermunicipal agreement for the responsibility of the underground basin.