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Commission flags HUD fair‑housing findings, zoning fees and appointment practices
Summary
Commissioners discussed a HUD-contracted assessment that identified possible barriers to fair housing, concerns that little ARP funding has gone to housing, a $1,000 zoning hearing fee seen as a potential barrier, and repeated reappointments to boards and commissions.
Commissioners reviewed findings from a HUD-contracted assessment (presented by a vendor identified in discussion as Hailstone) and flagged several policy areas for further examination, including zoning and planning processes, the use of federal ARP funds and board appointment practices.
Commission members said the HUD-assessment identified structural barriers to fair housing and recommended steps Reading should consider to remove those barriers. Commissioners noted an ARP allocation of roughly $61 million and expressed concern that the city had not directed a meaningful portion of those funds to housing. One commissioner cited the assessment’s estimate that Reading needed approximately 5,000 housing units by last year (a figure discussed in the meeting but not adopted as a formal commission finding at this session).
The commission also discussed whether a $1,000 zoning hearing fee creates an economic barrier for residents and small business owners. Commissioners recalled the fee had been lower in the past and suggested comparative analysis with neighboring municipalities. One member recommended reviewing the zoning-board makeup and considering term limits on boards and commissions to reduce political gatekeeping and repeated reappointments.
A staff member advised commissioners that several authorities (for example, the parking authority and redevelopment authority) are created under state law and have specific statutory appointment rules; this limits the commission’s ability to change appointment procedures for those authorities through the city charter alone. Commissioners said they would keep questions about appointments in the interview set but avoid proposing wholesale changes that could conflict with state statute.
Commissioners did not take formal action at the meeting but directed staff to refine question language, collect comparative fee data, and follow up on the HUD assessment and ARP spending as part of the charter review’s broader equity and housing work.
