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Hillside Laundromat seeks 43% expansion, citing accessibility and efficiency upgrades; board will rule in March
Summary
Hillside Laundromat South LLC asked the Reading Zoning Hearing Board for a variance to expand a nonconforming laundromat at North Tenth Street. The application seeks additional machines, ADA access and energy‑efficient equipment; the board accepted testimony and deferred a decision to next month.
Thomas Konopalski, a principal in Hillside Laundromat South LLC, and the applicant’s counsel presented a request Feb. 12, 2025, to expand a nonconforming laundromat at North Tenth Street in the R‑3 residential district.
Architect Rick Fryer testified that the existing building is about 1,710 square feet and that the applicant seeks roughly a 710‑square‑foot addition — a 43 percent increase over the existing floor area — to add seven higher‑volume, energy‑efficient washers and dryers and to provide a handicapped‑accessible entrance and bathroom that the current facility does not have.
Why it matters: The expansion would modernize equipment and add accessibility features in a neighborhood business that has operated for decades. The board must determine whether the requested increase is the minimum variance necessary and whether it will adversely affect the surrounding area.
What was presented
- Counsel Joan London and architect Rick Fryer described the plan and testified that the property has adequate parking (exhibits show about 23 spaces on the plan) and that the proposed layout follows manufacturer spacing guidelines for equipment.
- Fryer and the applicant said the addition is necessary to relieve customer wait times and to provide an accessible entrance and bathroom.
No one from the public testified for or against the application at the hearing. The board received the exhibits and sworn testimony and said it will issue a written decision at its March meeting and mail it to the applicant.
Speakers on the record included Thomas Konopalski (applicant), Joan E. London (counsel for applicant), Rick Fryer (architect), and Emily Diaz Melendez (zoning officer).
