READING, Pa. – Some city parking lots in Reading are looking to go solar.

The Reading Zoning Hearing Board heard two requests Wednesday night from the City of Reading for zoning relief to install a solar canopy/carport over two municipal parking lots. 

Those parking lots are the city hall/police department lot on Cedar Street and the public works building lot on North Sixth Street. 

Bethany Ayers Fisher, the city’s sustainability manager, explained the purpose of the canopies include generating electricity, protecting vehicles from storm damage and eliminating the need for snow removal on the lots. 

The project is being designed to cover the entire parking areas at both lots. 

Fisher said the highest point of the canopies would be 20 feet. 

Both projects require a variance from the minimum rear yard setback requirements, as well as a variance from the requirement that the solar canopy/carport is setback from all public roads a distance of no less that 1.1 times the alternative energy system’s height. 

The city lot is in the C-R Commercial Residential zoning district, and the public works lot is in M-C Manufacturing Commercial zoning district. 

The zoning panel members said they would like to see an artist’s rendering of the carports before giving a decision at the Feb. 11 hearing. 

Restaurant requests

The zoners also heard a request from Tomas Inirio who is seeking to extend the hours of a proposed restaurant/bar at 658 N. Sixth St. and to increase the number of seats. 

Inirio recently purchased the former Café Waldorf where he would like to increase the existing seating up to 75 and to extend the operating hours until 2 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. 

Other business

Also Wednesday, the zoning board voted to approve zoning relief for:

J. Reider Associates Inc., granting a variance from the number of required off-street parking spaces and off-street parking design at 700 Lancaster Ave. to use the vacant building as a laboratory and office.

Madison 2020, LLC, granting a special exception to reduce the number of required off-street parking spaces to use the vacant building at 400 Washington St. for commercial and residential dwelling units.