Preservation-district owners seek pole barn at 627 Angora Road; Berks Nature and EAC raised view and runoff concerns

Adam and Lara Linzenmeyer asked the City of Reading Zoning Hearing Board for a variance or special exception to build a pole barn on their 3.67-acre property at 627 Angora Road in the Preservation Zoning District. The applicants told the board the building would be roughly 800 square feet with a peak height the applicants and staff referenced at about 14 to 16 feet, a concrete floor and a low-visibility exterior color palette intended to blend with surrounding structures.

The applicants said the barn would provide secure storage for equipment and supplies used on their small herb farm and property-maintenance business; they also said the structure would free up space to restore a historic on-site building (originally a general store) that they plan to renovate. They said the building would be used initially for storage and not as living quarters; they acknowledged they might run training workshops years in the future and understood that living quarters would not be permitted in the pole barn.

Berks Nature and the Reading Environmental Advisory Council raised two central concerns in written comments and in-person testimony: potential visual impacts on the gravity-trail viewshed and increased impervious cover that could raise stormwater runoff into trails and Engelwood/Englewood-area drainage below the property. Emily Diaz, zoning officer, noted that the 800-square-foot size would trigger minor land development review and that any stormwater concerns would be addressed under that process. The applicants said they plan a roof-water collection system to harvest rainwater for greenhouse and garden use and provided a list of native species they plan to plant as a buffer to screen the building.

Board members suggested the applicants consider consolidating existing small sheds to reduce the number of outbuildings and discussed locating the barn to minimize visibility from the trail. The applicants agreed to submit more precise distance-to-property-line measurements, final color samples and the proposed native-plant buffer plan to the zoning officer for distribution to the EAC and Berks Nature. The hearing was closed and the board will issue a written decision next month; applicants were told the decision will be mailed to them.

Why it matters: The request combines historic-preservation sensitivities, scenic and trail-area protection, and stormwater management issues; the board and commenting conservation groups sought more detail on siting, colors and runoff controls before issuing a decision.