Property owners interested in converting vacant or underused upper floors along Penn Street into housing will have more time to apply for city funding.
The city has extended the application deadline for its Downtown Housing Development Grant Program to Aug. 7.
The pilot program is designed to encourage the creation of workforce housing downtown by helping property owners pay for major improvements needed to convert or rehabilitate underutilized upper-floor spaces into residential units.
Eligible properties must front the 200 through 500 blocks of Penn Street. Applicants may include private property owners, nonprofit organizations and for-profit entities, but they must own the building for which they are seeking funding.
The program offers grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 for projects involving substantial building improvements rather than cosmetic upgrades.
Eligible work may include structural stabilization, repairs to major building systems, correction of life-safety hazards and code violations, roofing and drainage improvements, heating and cooling infrastructure, and fire protection systems.
The extension is intended to give more property owners an opportunity to participate, Mayor Eddie Moran said in a statement this week.
“Our downtown has tremendous potential, and we want to make sure property owners have every opportunity to take advantage of this program,” the mayor said in announcing the extension. “By extending the application deadline, we’re giving more applicants the time they need to put together strong proposals that will help create new housing opportunities and continue the revitalization of Penn Street.”
Applications must be submitted by Aug. 7.
Applications are available on the city’s website www.readingpa.gov.
For more information email DowntownHousingProgram@ReadingPA.gov or call 610-655-6253.