Reading Parking Authority asks board for variances to open temporary parking lot at 213 South 11th

The Reading Parking Authority asked the Reading Zoning Hearing Board on Jan. 8 to allow the authority to operate a temporary gravel parking lot at 213 South 11th Street that would provide about 60 spaces, including 10 larger stalls intended for recreational vehicles or oversized vehicles.

The request, presented by attorney Tom Rothermel and engineer Christopher Filenki on behalf of the authority, seeks variances from multiple sections of the city zoning ordinance including rules on temporary uses, buffering, dimensional requirements, ADA space size and certain landscaping and lighting standards so the lot can be used as an interim public, permit-only parking facility.

If approved, Rafael Batista, identified in the hearing as the Reading Parking Authority’s executive director, said the lot would be operated by permit ("sticker permit"), open to the public by permit only and intended to provide relief for the city’s parking shortage. Rothermel said the authority holds a leasehold interest in the property and that the lot has had minor improvements in 2023. Filenki described the lot as currently "100% stoned" and said the authority prefers to keep it gravel as a temporary surface but would pave if relief is granted.

The board’s questioning focused on safety, landscaping and technical compliance. Filenki said the 10 larger stalls would measure 10 by 35 feet, while regular car stalls were shown as 9 by 18 feet. He described existing site constraints that limit placement of planted buffers, noting a 6-foot concrete block wall and steep slopes in parts of the parcel, and said adding full perimeter planting would reduce the number of usable spaces. Filenki also described existing lights on the property and said the plan would preserve those fixtures rather than add new lighting.

Board members asked how the lot would be secured and monitored; Batista said enforcement is done by Parking Authority patrols at other similar lots and that access would be controlled by a sticker permit system rather than gates. The applicant said the lot would include turn-around areas to avoid headlights pointing directly at neighboring dwellings and that retaining walls and grading would be required to meet maximum slope requirements if the lot were regraded; Filenki said the existing grade in places is about 12 percent.

Several board members and a nearby resident asked whether the authority had conducted a neighborhood parking study; Rothermel and Batista said the authority had conducted prior work at the city level but that no formal, recently updated study was offered into the record. Rothermel said the larger spaces were included to provide flexibility for residents who own larger vehicles and to accommodate city vehicles if needed.

No vote was taken. The board closed evidentiary testimony for the item and scheduled the decision for the February 2025 hearing. The applicant left exhibits and the board advised that if relief is granted, additional plan-level review through city planning and any required land-development steps would follow.