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Garcia Group seeks upstairs apartments at 1034 Penn St.; staff says existing parking accommodates dual use
Summary
Garcia Group LLC asked the Reading Zoning Hearing Board for adaptive-reuse approval to convert the second and third floors of 1034 Penn Street into two three-bedroom apartments and for a variance to allow the continued restaurant use on the ground floor.
Garcia Group LLC asked the City of Reading Zoning Hearing Board to approve adaptive reuse of the second and third floors at 1034 Penn Street to create two three-bedroom apartments and to grant a variance allowing two principal uses on the property so that the ground-floor restaurant may continue operating with apartments above.
Joan London Kozlov Stout, counsel for Garcia Group LLC, presented an offer of proof describing the property as a three-story building in the R-3 District with Penn’s Common Historic Overlay. Counsel and applicant Yira Heredia said the ground-floor restaurant (currently Cherry’s, planned to change to a Dominican restaurant) would continue with the same size (24 seats) and employee count (three employees). They said there are 12 off-street parking spaces on Cherry Street at the rear of the site; applying the zoning ordinance standards cited by counsel (1.5 spaces per dwelling unit; 1 space per four restaurant seats; plus one per employee), staff and the applicant concluded the existing parking is sufficient for the mixed use.
The applicant said renovations would be interior only — creating two apartments well above the minimum square footage for three-bedroom units (the applicant described the second- and third-floor apartments as approximately 1,600 square feet each) — and that there would be no amplified entertainment or liquor service. Hours of operation discussed for the restaurant were described as a planned 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily if changes are implemented; currently the restaurant operates Tuesday through Saturday, roughly midday to evening. Emily Diaz noted the property sits near the commercial-residential boundary and that, had it been in the CR District, a second principal use might be permitted by right. The board accepted testimony, found no new exhibits were introduced and closed the hearing; a written decision will be issued next month and mailed to the applicant.
Why it matters: The proposal would add housing units in downtown Reading while retaining an active restaurant use. The staff assessment and applicant testimony indicated off-street parking was previously accepted and remains sufficient under the ordinance’s formulas, a key factor in the board’s consideration.
