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Board hears sign‑size variance request for Lancaster Avenue car dealership; staff says new sign reduces nonconformity
Summary
The applicant for 1001 Lancaster Avenue asked the board to allow a roughly 78.75‑square‑foot Mazda sign to replace a larger, preexisting Acura sign; counsel said the change reduces the property's nonconforming signage and is de minimis. The board closed testimony and will issue a decision next month.
At a March 11 hearing the Reading Zoning Hearing Board considered a sign‑size variance for 1001 Lancaster Avenue, the site of a long‑standing Acura dealership. Counsel said the applicant intends to remove the existing roughly 100‑square‑foot Acura sign and install Mazda signage of about 78.75 square feet, which still exceeds the zoning ordinance maximum of 60 square feet but reduces the degree of nonconformity.
Chris Movedy, representing the applicant, told the board the proposed Mazda sign had previously been used at the company's Muhlenberg Township location and that bringing the sign to Lancaster Avenue would shrink the existing nonconforming condition. "By replacing it with the Mazda signage ... we're actually getting closer to compliance with the zoning ordinance," he said.
Staff confirmed the plan would reduce the size of the existing nonconforming sign. No members of the public testified for or against the request. The board closed the hearing and said it will render a written decision next month and mail a copy to counsel.
