September 2021
DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS
Agenda
• Overview
• Setting the stage
• Celebrating the future
• Downtown today
• Downtown tomorrow: building blocks
• Implementation strategies
• Next steps
OVERVIEW
Overview
Downtown has a rich history...but the
time is now to write a new chapter
• The new economy is increasingly driven by knowledge industries and
services tech, healthcare, and higher education.
• Cities increasingly compete for top talent—and this talent looks to
downtown first to live and work.
• Demographics are destiny—successful downtowns will be places that
celebrate diversity, find their own unique authenticity, and offer the
amenity that makes them destinations to live, work, play, innovate—and
find shared community.
• Momentum is underway to reinvigorate downtown as the regional engine
for economic opportunity, equity, living culture, diversity, and resilience
Overview
Next two decades will offer
WRITE DOWNTOWN’S
transformative NEXT CHAPTER
opportunities
• MARKET DATA POINTS TO TWO PLUS DECADES OF UNPRECEDENTED
GROWTH.
• AS WORKPLACES AND RETAIL RAPIDLY EVOLVE GROWTH IS WILL BE
DOMINATED BY THE MOST URBAN HOUSING MARKET IN US HISTORY.
• INCREASED HOUSING WILL…
• Boost demand for innovative restaurants, cafés, breweries, unique
retail, arts + culture, and entertainment:
• Draw talent, jobs, and investment to downtown
• Enhance opportunities for its current residents and stakeholders
Overview
Leverage Downtown’s assets
LEVERAGE ASSETS
• CAPITALIZE ON AND GROW…
• Arts and culture
• Institutions and organizations
• Growing City/Downtown partnership
• CELEBRATE…
• Latinx community – authenticity, living culture
• History and living historic character
• Strong living arts/culture community
• Penn street
• …MAGNIFICENT, ACCESSABLE RIVERFRONT
Overview
Threshold tasks ahead
TASKS AHEAD
• EXPAND P3 AND OTHER INCENTIVES TO SPUR DEVELOPMENT…
• Support more mixed-use development + active uses (zoning)
• Expand mixed-income housing
• REINITIATE A NEW DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP ORGANIZATION…
• Sponsor events
• Build stronger connection to LatinX business/arts/resident/ communities
• Advocate for businesses, partners with city to address regulatory and partnership
challenges and opportunities
• UNLOCK THE RIVERFRONT’S POTENTIAL
• BRING RAIL BACK TO READING
SETTING THE STAGE: Context
• Transformational trends
• Lessons from Covid
• What we have heard
• What we have learned from previous
studies
• Market findings
Setting the stage
Transformational trends
Demographics are destiny
US housing DEMAND US housing SUPPLY
• 80+% of net new households will be singles and
(2020-40): (2020):
couples, without kids
• Over-65 will be fastest growing age segment
<60% multi-family, row >60% single-family
houses Economic imperative
>40-% single family • 90+% of net new jobs will require some higher
< multifamily, row
house educations
• Knowledge industry jobs generate multiple
additional jobs requiring diverse skills
New mobility paradigms
DEMAND SUPPLY • Over the next 25-30 years shared, connected,
and then autonomous mobility
Urban is the future of green
• Urban emissions “footprints” are 50-75% lower
THE GREAT HOUSING MISMATCH than suburban emissions footprints
Setting the stage
Lessons from Covid
Walkability matters
• Opportunities to walk
• Access to nature
• Access to nearby retail, nature
Community matters
• Outdoor dining
• Enjoying outdoor spaces
Accelerating trends
• Decline of auto-oriented, mass retail
• Growth of “walkable” retail
• Growth of hybrid work models
Trends that never happened
• Downtown exodus
• Flight from density
Setting the stage
What we Learned – Past Studies
Transportation - Time to move forward
• Berks County Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation
Plan (2020)
• Reading to Philadelphia Passenger Rail Analysis (2020)
• Reading Area LRTP 2017-2040
• Berks County Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation
Plan (2020)
• South Central Transit Authority (SCTA) Transit Development
Plan Update (2018)
• Complete Streets Initiative (2015)
Development - Unlock potential
• City of Reading Downtown Master Plan 2020 (2011)
• Penn Corridor Development Plan
Environment – Celebrate assets, Increase connectivity
• Greening Reading's Penn Street (2017)
• Parks and Recreation Plan 2019 - 2028
Setting the stage
What we have heard:
What Makes Downtown Reading Special?
Setting the stage
What we have heard:
Where would you take a visitor?
Setting the stage
Market findings: 2021-~2030
Based on current conditions, assuming robust public/private partnerships
Housing (market rate)—1000-1500 units
• Mostly 1-2 person households
• Mix of incomes
• Predominantly rental
Hotel—50 rooms early-on, ~150 rooms in 5+ years
• Based on growing downtown demand (institutions, health)
• Growing boutique market
Retail—20-30,000SF
• Niche retail—strong focus on food, breweries, entertainment
• LatinX “authentic” businesses, culture
• Focus toward Penn
• Will grow with more housing, hotels
Office—minimal market-driven demand
• Most demand from “eds and meds”
• …and potential new startups
Setting the stage
Market findings: late ~2030-2041
Based on implementation of Downtown Plan and leveraging early progress
Housing (market rate) )—1000-1500 units
4000-5000 additional units
Hotel—300 rooms
growth related to increased vitality
Retail—20-30,000SF
roughly double based on housing growth
Office—minimal market-driven demand
little change
Setting the stage
Lessons for Downtown
CELEBRATING THE FUTURE: Direction
• Mission
• Vision
• Goals
Celebrating the
future
Mission
The City of Reading Administration, in partnership
with community leaders, have established a goal
for Reading to attract and retain businesses,
visitors, residents, and developers. To meet that
goal, we must focus on improvement of our
Central Core Downtown. This project builds upon and brings
together portions of former planning efforts, but
most importantly will put forth a new integrated
Franklin plan that creates a unified vision for the
Station
development and redevelopment of Reading's
The Waterfront Downtown Plus in the near term and future.
This vision will build on a rich past and diverse
present, but will be about shaping Downtown’s
future, not recapturing a past that belonged to a
different era.
Celebrating the
future
Vision
RECOGNIZE DOWNTOWN AS THE
REGIONAL CENTER OF EDUCATION,
ENTREPRENEURSHIP, DIVERSITY,
OPPORTUNITY, AND INNOVATION.
Central Core CELEBRATE DOWNTOWN AS A
DESTINATION FOR ITS LIVING CULTURE,
ARTS, HISTORY, RIVERFRONT, NATURE, AND
Franklin
Station SHARED COMMUNITY.
The Waterfront
ENHANCE DOWNTOWN BY STARTING WITH
PEOPLE WHO LIVE, WORK, PERFORM,
EDUCATE AND STUDY, OPERATE
BUSINESSES AND IN OTHER WAYS ARE
ALREADY BUILDING DOWNTOWN’S FUTURE
TODAY.
Celebrating the
future
Goals: across Downtown
• Build on a rich architectural legacy and
history as region’s business center to revive
Downtown as the economic, cultural and
social heart of the city and region
• Celebrate LatinX living culture, businesses
Central Core
• Plan, program, and design Downtown’s
public realm that proactively invites the full
Franklin spectrum of the community to come
Station Downtown to share community—a place
The Waterfront everyone calls “mine”
• Use P3 and similar public investments to spur
development not as a goal in its own right,
but a powerful tool to achieve Reading’s
larger vision for Downtown
• Support Downtown - The region’s go to
place for entrepreneurs and business
startups
Celebrating the
future
Goals: three distinct, interrelated, districts
Waterfront
• Transform into a major regional Riverfront Park
destination—celebrate Penn/Riverfront
connection
• Reinforce Downtown/neighborhood connections
Central Core
Central Core
• Create a critical mass of people living, working,
Franklin playing, and innovating to bring Penn to life as
Station the city and region’s “Main Street”
The Waterfront • Reinvigorate 5th and Penn as the city and
region’s “Town Square” and common ground
Franklin Station
• Transform into a new mixed-use & mixed-income
live/work/play/innovate Downtown
neighborhood
• …and focus for entrepreneurship and
• Bring 7th St to life as the walkable connection to
Penn
DOWNTOWN TODAY: Foundation
• The basics
• Unique opportunities for building the
future
• Opportunities for change
Downtown today
The basics
• Population: 5,300 Residents in Center
City (Downtown)
– Majority LatinX
– Median Age (M) – 34.4 Years (F) – 31.5
Years
– Daytime Population (age 16+): ~20,000
• Parking
– 9000 Spaces – Garages and Lots
– 700 On-street Spaces
• Build upon recent and current
development/redevelopment
success… 24 Months, $ 51 Million in
investment, 567,000 SF
Downtown today
The architecture!
Downtown today
Where can change
happen?
RIPE – LIKELY TO CHANGE
OPPORTUNITY – POTENTIAL FOR
CHANGE
FIRM – NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE
CELEBRATING THE FUTURE
PARKS – PLACES TO ENHANCE
DOWNTOWN TOMORROW: Building blocks
• Place-based recommendations
• Policy and infrastructure-based
recommendations
Building blocks
Place-based recommendations
• Overview
• Waterfront
• Central Core
• Franklin Station
Place-based
Building blocks
recommendations
Scope of change 2021~2030
Next 10-15 years
Building blocks
Potential phasing priorities 2021- ~2030
EARLY-TERM: initiate now
• 5th + PENN – Development and Public Realm
• Advance Current Pipeline Projects
• Targeted Storefront Renovation (5+Penn+9 Corridors)
• Washington Connector, Riverfront Redevelopment (PHASE I)
Central Core • Riverfront Park (Redevelopment Plan)
• 9th and Penn (Public Realm – Plaza Improvements)
• Upper Floor Redevelopment
MID-TERM
• 2nd, Canal Streetscape Enhancements and
Franklin Pedestrian Improvements
Station
• Reading Eagle
Franklin • Pedestrian Enhancements – 7th, Court, Washington
Station • Franklin Station (PHASE I)
The Waterfront • Riverfront Park (Implementation)
The Waterfront
LONG-TERM
• 9th and Penn (Mixed-Use Redevelopment)
• Washington Connector, Riverfront Redevelopment (FUTURE
PHASE)
• Franklin Station (FUTURE PHASE)
Building blocks
Catalyst development and public realm
projects: 2021- ~2030
THREE DISTRICTS
• The Waterfront
• Central Core
• Franklin Station
Central Core DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC REALM
Central Core 1. Washington Connector, Riverfront
Franklin
Redevelopment
Station 2. Waterfront Park and Connectivity
Franklin Improvements
Station 3. 2nd, Canal Streetscape Enhancements and
The Waterfront
The Waterfront Pedestrian Improvements
4. Reading Eagle
5. 5th and Penn
6. 9th and Penn
7. Pedestrian Enhancements – 7th, Court,
Washington
8. Franklin Station
Building blocks
Waterfront
Building blocks
Waterfront Park and Bandshell
Connectivity
Improvements
New Trails
Canoe Launch
Spruce St. Park
New Pavilion
Overlook
Building blocks
2nd/Canal Streetscape
and Pedestrian
Enhancements
Building blocks
Washington
Connector Riverfront Park
Riverfront
Redevelopment –
Phase I
• Road Diet, Streetscape
• New Park
• Activate First Floor of Riverfront
Garage Restaurant
• New Connections to
Riverfront
Increase
Connectivity
New Park Building blocks
Ground
Washington Riverfront
Retail
Connector Overlook
Riverfront
Redevelopment – Podium
Parking
Phase II
• Riverfront Redevelopment
Riverfront
• Destination Restaurant Restaurant
• Total Development:
124,000 GSF
• Retail & Anchor Tenant:
20,000 GSF Park & Event
• New Residential: 70 Units Space Under
• Parking: 100-120 spaces Bridge
Building blocks
Building blocks
Central Core
Building blocks
5th and Penn
• Destination
• Center of Activity
• Maximize Available
Space
• Pedestrian and Visitor Friendly
• Public Art
• Spray Fountain
• Historic Object
• Events + Programming
Aerial Photo – 5th + Penn Today
Building blocks
• Redevelopment
Expand Plaza Parking
Court St
Food Hall
5th and Penn
Alvernia
5th St
College
Towne
Future
Housing
Façade Preservation
• Total New Development: 170,500 GSF Adaptive
• New Retail & Commercial: 24,500 GSF Penn St
• New Residential: 73 Units
Reuse
• Parking: 80 spaces on-site
Anchor Tenant
Building blocks
Building blocks
GoggleWorks II
Rowhouses
• Destination 301 Washington
• Center of Activity
• Redevelop Existing
Multi-building Complex
• Activate Building Frontages
• Infill Development
Opportunities
New Entry + Bridge
Reading Eagle
New Streetscape
Destination Retail
Infill
• 225,000 SF Redevelopment
Building blocks
Reading Eagle
26,400 SF Building
4400 SF Retail / 11,000 Residential Apartments
Building blocks
Rowhomes
Additional Retail New Plaza
9th and Penn
Retail Kiosk
9th Street
(beer)
Mixed-use
Mixed-use Penn St
New Streetscape
9800 SF Retail / 40,000 SF Residential Apartments / 26 Rowhomes
Phased redevelopment
• Redesign Plaza
• Phase I – Add Mixed-Use (Minimal
Retail/Housing)
• Phase II – Add Rowhomes
Building blocks
Pedestrian Enhancements
7th, Court, Washington
• High/Low Spaces
• Creative Connectivity
• Art, Lighting
Santander
Arena
Washington St Looking East Court St Looking East NS Rail Looking North @ 7th St
Building blocks
Franklin Station
Building blocks
Franklin Station:
New urban
neighborhood
Franklin Station
Reading Foundry
Building blocks
New Infill townhouses: 27
Units – 27,000 SF Conversion – 26,500 SF
22 Maker Spaces/Lofts
Potential Parking at
Ground Floor: 20 Spaces
New Infill retail: 1,200 SF
10,500 SF Office/Innovation
space
3-level Garage:
100-120 Spaces 12,281 SF Warehouse
Conversion to Retail/
Commercial
New Retail / Commercial:
3,700 SF
38,500 SF Industrial Reuse –
40 residential units
New Mixed-Use Building:
46,000 SF total
Total Development: - 5,000 SF retail Green Space or Shared
218,000 GSF - 40 units Use Plaza
Retail & Commercial:
26,700 GSF
New Residential: 118 Rehab Existing building into
Units a retail / art pavilion: 1,100
Office/Innovation: New Retail / Commercial: SF
10,500 GSF 3,500 SF
Parking: 100-120
spaces Pop-up Retail / Art Pavilion
Building blocks
Building blocks
Policy and infrastructure-based recommendations
• LatinX community engagement
• Equity and inclusivity
• Mobility
• Culture and arts
• Historic preservation
Building blocks
LatinX community engagement
• Unlock the community’s ability to
“Latino- help build Downtown’s future—
owned financial support, training,
businesses venues, etc. to support emerging
boost entrepreneurs, small businesses,
Hispanic artists and “culture bearers”…
Heritage
Month” • Housing assistance and
workforce readiness targeted to
the community’s needs
• Celebrate the community’s
contributions to Downtown
Building blocks
Equity and affordable housing
• Celebrate Reading’s diversity—build an
inclusive, mixed-income Downtown
• Monitor emerging affordability challenges—and
existing building and living conditions
• Improve access to growing economic
opportunity—expand workforce readiness and
training.
• “Enfranchise youth”—help make younger
residents feel and act like “citizens of
Downtown”
• Use affordable housing as a powerful economic
development tool—attract artists, entrepreneurs,
“Reading’s Centre Park Historic District is youth…
gorgeous, affordable and friendly”
Building blocks
Mobility: based on a comprehensive assessment
(present and future) — three headlines
• People-oriented streets and
intersections
• Parking is NOT the issue—
managing parking for shared
benefit is the opportunity
• Connectivity for all users
Building blocks
People-Oriented Streets and Intersections—e.g.
Redesigning 5th and Penn as Reading’s Town Square
5th St
North side of Penn Right-of-Way
Reserved for public space/plaza
to increase contiguous area
Penn St
Roundabout Intersection
Penn Street Traveled Way
Potentially transformative
gateway feature, designed as Moved as far south as possible
single-lane to reduce footprint and closer to south-side building
facades
Building blocks
Building blocks
Parking is not the issue—e.g.
Shared parking strategies
Building blocks
Connectivity for all users—e.g.
Dedicated East-West Bikeway: Cherry and Penn
Cherry/4th and Cherry/6th Penn/11th
Reduce crossing distances and Design safe bicycle crossing of
design to control high-speed turns one-way northbound (11th-
Perkiomen) and eastbound
(Penn-Perkiomen) traffic
Penn
Cherry/7th
Design for bikeway to cross
Cherry/2nd intersection
Design for bikeway to
cross intersection Dedicated East-West Bikeway: Cherry and Penn
Building blocks
Connectivity for all users—e.g.
Safer streets and intersections
Addressing High-Crash Locations
Washington/4th and
Washington/6th
Install high-visibility crosswalks;
relocate utility poles to increase
visibility of turning vehicles
Franklin/4th and Franklin/6th
Realign crosswalks to better
protect pedestrians from turning
vehicles; install curb extensions at
intersection (in parking lanes) to
reduce crossing distances
Building blocks
Culture and the arts
Expanded City leadership—e.g.
• Julia slides • Cabinet level “Cultural Officer”
• Broadly representative City Arts
Commission
• Funding programs to build a diverse,
evolving, robust arts presence across
Downtown.
Build greater collaboration—e.g.
multifunctional venues that can be
shared by diverse artists, arts
organizations - attract audience that
better reflects the cultural makeup of
the city
Promote Downtown’s living culture
of artists, performers, chefs, and
similar “culture bearers”.
Building blocks
Historic preservation:
Educate/communicate/promote
• Create fully illustrated Design Guidelines specific to the
character of each local historic district in Downtown.
• Create a “Historic Preservation 101” manual for owners
of historic property.
• Create a (printed and online) map of downtown
Reading’s most iconic historic buildings.
• Create an annual “10 Most Endangered Historic Building
List” for downtown Reading, like the National Trust’s “11
Most Endangered Historic Places”.
• Pursue funding sources e.g. the Commonwealth of PA’s
Certified Local Government grants and The National
Trust for Historic Preservation local grant programs.
• Work with established developers to create educational
program - train, mentor, provide networking and
berks county trust building
financial resources to local aspiring developers.
IMPLEMENTATION: Strategies and funding
• The City leadership
• Downtown partnership
• Institutional partnerships
• Zoning
• Public/private partnerships (P3s)
Implementation
City leadership
• Continued visible commitment
from the Mayor and Council.
• Downtown “lead” to coordinate
City initiatives, funding,
approvals—a one-stop shop…
• Development manager to
evaluate funding needs, create
TIF and other funding strategies,
coordinate with developers…
• Additional downtown-focused
capacity—public realm, mobility
and parking, environment,
culture and the arts…
Implementation
Downtown partnership
Stantec’s Urban
• Strong organizational leadership
Places team working relationships with full spectrum
partnered with of Downtown stakeholders—City,
the International residents, businesses. employers,
Downtown
Association to
property owners, LatinX, and other
report on how communities, arts/culture organizations,
downtown institutions……
partnerships with
leading
• Diverse capacity to plan and organize
downtown festivals, advocate on behalf of
recovery efforts businesses, recruit retailers and other
across US cities. businesses…public realm, mobility and
parking, environment, culture and the
arts, housing development…
• Revenue base that taps growing
Downtown residential investment
Implementation
Institutional partnerships
Implementation
CC Zoning Recommendations
PURPOSE: look for more ways that zoning can encourage vibrant, walkable, mixed-use development
DIMENSIONAL STANDARDS, NON-CONFORMITIES AND PARKING
• Eliminate setback standards, replace with design standards/upper story step-backs
• Allow more intensity and activity downtown while preserving access to light and air
• Allow some expansions of non-conforming uses via CUP (rather than variance)
• Create administrative process for reductions in parking requirements in the downtown
USE STANDARDS
• Simplify uses into use groups to allow more flexibility for unique uses
• Create waiver process for first-floor commercial requirement
• Move uses from conditional/special to permitted - Examples: banquet halls, taverns, adaptive re-use
• Keep additional standards for specific uses such as adaptive re-use and conversions, but allow them
• to be administered by staff
DESIGN STANDARDS
• Create design standards to emphasize compatibility while allowing more flexibility in use
Implementation
A growing public/private partnership
is already spurring Downtown Revival
Implementation
A growing public/private partnership
is already spurring Downtown Revival
Implementation
Downtown is rich in opportunities that will
create significant public and private value
Q+A
