READING. Pa. – Reading City Council voted Monday night to continue to allow the preservation staff to process certificates of appropriateness for historic properties in the absence of a Historical Architectural Review Board.
The extension was authorized for a period of six months.
In February of this year, all the existing members of the HARB abruptly resigned.
The HARB is an advisory citizens group composed of volunteer professionals and residents which are appointed by council.
The city has five historical districts: Centre Park, Callowhill, Prince, Penn’s Common and College Heights.
During its committee-of-the-whole meeting Monday night, Reading City Council learned of a mass exodus of members from the Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB).
Whenever property owners in those districts wish to make any alterations to the exteriors of their buildings, they must apply to the HARB, and if any alterations are outside the HARB guidelines, applicants must appear before the HARB board during a public hearing.
In April, City Council authorized delaying appointments to the HARB to give the city time to reevaluate and consider the resources, capacity and management of historic preservation.
At that time, council also authorized the historical preservation officer to issue certificates of appropriateness for construction, for demolition or alteration projects within the historic districts for a period of 180 days, to expire at the end of October.
Since that time, both the community development director and the historic preservation officer left their positions.
When significant decisions needed to be made, City Council has heard and acted on those requests.
Former planner Fritz Rothermel recommended making numerous changes to Reading’s historic districts, including possibly decertifying one of them.
The city had asked for a 12-month extension, but some City Council members objected, saying they want to see the HARB reestablished as soon as possible.
The city’s ordinance on historic districts was reviewed by the state, and it was determined it needed to be rewritten to be compliant with state law.
Councilmember Jaime Baez Jr. asked council solicitor Michael Gombar if council should be working on the ordinance to seat a new HARB as soon as possible.
“Right now, you have a report from the state saying that your current ordinance is deficient when it comes to the state law, so you can’t rush to judgment to get a HARB back in place and ask people to serve in a capacity on this board that they might not even know what they’re agreeing to serve on because that role could change,” Gombar said.
“I think the best course of action is, yes, continue to have your foot on the gas pedal to try to get a new ordinance in place, and it sounds like the administration is working on that,” he continued. “In deference to your residents and taxpayers that are trying to make improvements to their properties that aren’t sure of what the process is going to be, you don’t want to put a roadblock up that now because this resolution that we passed in April is going to expire. Then chaos could really occur because nobody in the administration is going to know what to do.”
It was then Gombar who suggested council amend the resolution to reduce the 12 months to six months.
Managing Director Jack Gombach said the priority is to get a community development director hired. Historic preservation falls under the jurisdiction of community development.
Baez said his concern is that it feels like certificates of appropriateness are being approved or denied unchecked.
Reading City Council heard from a state commission on actions the city should take to reestablish its Historical Architectural Review Board.
“The HARB was an independent board, and I just want everybody to be treated fairly,” Baez said. “The board being independent made me feel more comfortable. It’s almost an unchecked power on what can be approved or be denied.”
Council President Donna Reed said it is important to understand that the HARB is not dead; it is just vacant.
“I appreciate everybody’s efforts, but to me, the concept of a HARB was a very democratic way at looking at different issues,” Reed said. “I have concerns, even though I believe everyone is working to do the right thing.”