Reading to offer grants to convert upper floors of Penn Street properties to residential | Reading Area

READING, Pa. – Reading City Council on Monday voted to approve a resolution to adopt the Downtown Housing Development Pilot Grant Program Guidelines.

Last month, council heard a presentation on the downtown housing initiative from Community Development Director David Barr.

The initiative is meant to address renovating the large number of vacant or underutilized upper floors of properties on Penn Street which are only occupied by businesses on the ground floor.

The pilot program (see page 24) will include properties in the 200 through 500 blocks of Penn Street, but Barr said he would eventually want to expand the program to other areas of the city.

Building owners will be able to apply for grants between $25,000 and $100,000. The projects can be mixed-use conversion and/or rehabilitation, but they must include a residential component.

The initial funding will come from $1 million which council set aside in a housing improvement fund sometime around 2019.

One of the program requirements will require a 25% match from the applicants.

Barr said that as part of the program guidelines, a steering committee and the community development staff would have the authority to make the decisions on the grant applications, rather than put each one before council.

Keys to the city

In another matter, council voted 5-2 to adopt a resolution to revise the council policy and procedure handbook to incorporate a new policy regarding use of city hall meeting spaces and after-hours access.

Council Solicitor Michael Gombar said the policy will prohibit any councilmember from having a key to the city clerk’s office, but the office will be available as a potential meeting space for councilmembers if other meeting spaces in city hall are in use.

A key to the office will be available from the desk sergeant where councilmembers will be able to sign for the key and report the names and contact information of anyone who will be using the office.

Councilmembers Jaime Baez Jr. and Melissa Ventura voted against the policy.

Baez originally brought the matter before council with the intention of having the city give each councilmember a key to the office.

Artificial plants

Also Monday, council awarded a $44,256 contract to Ambius, Philadelphia, to decorate the atrium at city hall with life-like artificial plants.

The city had attempted to grow live plants in the space over the years, but because of low light levels and fluctuating temperatures, the plants would not thrive in the conditions.