The intended objectives of the various zoning districts are described as follows and shall be relied upon for interpretation and administration of this Part:
A. The Residential Districts are intended to provide sufficient area in appropriate locations for residential uses and development in an effort to meet the housing needs of the City without sacrificing desirable established residential patterns.
(1) The R-1A, R-1, R-2 and R-3 Residential Districts allow for varying residential densities. The R-1A and R-1 Districts preserve and enhance low-density areas composed of one-family detached dwellings on relatively large lots. The R-2 Medium Density District provides a variety of one-family detached, semidetached and attached dwellings. The R-3 District allows the highest residential densities and permits multifamily apartments.
(2) The Residential-Professional Office District provides for the controlled growth of professional offices along Kenhorst Boulevard between Lancaster Avenue and Pershing Boulevard, where similar uses are already in existence. The professional nature of the services provided shall have minimum impact on the neighboring residential districts.
B. The Commercial Districts are intended to provide sufficient area in appropriate locations for various forms and types of business uses and development; to satisfy the needs of modern business development by providing off-street parking, loading and unloading areas, safe and efficient means of vehicle ingress and egress, and compatible forms of business development; to encourage the development of attractive, functional and economic forms of commercial buildings under proper standards; to encourage the enhancement and beautification of commercial areas; and to minimize any negative effects of commercial areas on adjoining residential areas. Recognizing the mixed-use character of the City of Reading, it is intended that existing residential uses be permitted in commercial class districts in accordance with standards established for specified residential districts.
(1) The C-C Commercial Core District is the downtown center for government services, offices, shopping, hotels, entertainment and cultural activity.
(2) The C-R Commercial Residential District provides for multifamily dwellings as well as offices, business services, consumer services and smaller retail stores that relate to the commercial core.
(3) The C-N Commercial Neighborhood District allows the continuation of pedestrian- oriented business establishments that feature convenience shopping and personal services for a smaller local residential market.
(4) The C-H Commercial Highway District includes locations along major roadways and are designed to allow for automobile-oriented businesses as well as high-intensity linear retail development.
C. The Manufacturing Districts are intended to provide suitable space for industrial and commercial types of business and development not ordinarily found nor desirable in commercial or neighborhood districts, to satisfy the needs for this type of development by providing for off-street parking and loading and unloading areas in the course of the development of attractive functional and economic forms of commercial and offices as well as industrial development; and to minimize any negative effects of industrial commercial areas on the adjoining residential areas. Recognizing the opportunity for adaptive reuse of existing manufacturing buildings and for reuse of vacant industrial lands for other purposes, it is the intent of this chapter that the Manufacturing-Commercial District permit such adaptive reuse of industrial buildings for commercial enterprises and offices where existing buildings are appropriate for these uses. The manufacturing class districts are not intended to contain residences. In the event that there is an existing single-family detached or semidetached dwelling in a manufacturing class district, the expansion of said building for the establishment of accessory uses for said dwellings may be permitted, provided the proposal is in compliance with the minimum standards of any of the residential districts.
(1) The M-C Manufacturing Commercial District provides for light manufacturing and retail and wholesale sales and services.
(2) The H-M Heavy Manufacturing District provides for heavy manufacturing, warehousing, transportation and other commercial uses that are incompatible with less-intensive nonresidential uses.
D. The P Preservation District is designed to conserve the natural quality of land at, adjacent to, or near streams, ponds, lakes, watercourses or similar geologic features, including those geologic features that contain water only during times of extreme flooding. The Preservation District protects the habitat of wildlife in areas of little human intrusion, protects areas that environmentally are fragile because of soil structure, slope or type of vegetation or wildlife habitation, and protects places having unique natural, architectural or historic interest or value; to protect public buildings and public grounds. Development within the Preservation District shall prevent the blockage of stream valleys, minimize erosion, prevent the diversion of natural watercourses, and minimize flood-related damage in and around floodplain areas.
E. The FP Floodplain Overlay Zone is intended to reduce the loss of property and life, to minimize health and safety hazards, the disruption of commerce and governmental services, the extraordinary and unnecessary expenditure of public funds for flood protection and relief, and the impairment of the tax base by regulating uses, activities and development which, acting alone or in combination with other existing or future uses, activities and development, will cause increases in flood heights, velocities and frequencies; restricting or prohibiting certain uses, activities and development from locating within areas subject to flooding; requiring all those uses, activities and developments that do occur in flood-prone areas to be protected and/or floodproofed against flooding and flood damage; and protecting individuals from buying lands and structures that are susceptible to flood hazards.
F. The Airport Overlay Zone is designed to insure and promote the health, safety and welfare of the general public and property in and about the Reading Regional Airport, to protect the users, facilities and services of the airport, to prevent hazardous conditions to the users, facilities or services of the airport and to eliminate, remove, mitigate, mark or light any existing hazard which cannot be completely abated.
G. RR Riverfront Redevelopment Overlay Zone. This district recognizes an area of Reading that is uniquely situated compared to other areas of the City. This district allows optional types of future development and adaptive reuses consistent with such uniqueness. This area is also unique in terms of its size because it potentially includes over 20 acres of redevelopment land. This RR Overlay Zone is intended to:
(1) Promote redevelopment that enhances the Schuylkill Riverfront, in recognition of its value to the City, while making better use of underutilized lands.
(2) Promote appropriate mixtures of compatible uses that provide for a variety of employment opportunities and housing types, including mixtures of business and residential uses in the same building.
(3) Improve the public's access to the river and maximize the visibility of the riverfront.
(4) Allow persons to live, shop and work on the same tract of land, in order to reduce total vehicle traffic in the City and reducing commuting distances while promoting use of public transit.
(5) Carry out the purposes of the traditional neighborhood development (TND) and the purposes of the planned residential development (PRD) provisions of the State Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq., which are hereby included by reference.
(6) Encourage new development to occur in a compact neighborhood-oriented manner that will be consistent with traditional patterns and scale of development, and that creates a sense of place.
(7) Promote housing that serves various types of households.
(8) Allow modification of certain requirements through the PRD process by the Planning Commission.
(9) Promote a pedestrian-orientation through the development that includes a mix of commercial and residential uses.
H. Municipal Use District (MU) is intended as a relatively isolated area, reserved for those uses and services traditionally provided by local governments, but whose associated nuisances, and/or security concerns warrant a separation, to the extent practical, from publicly accessible and occupied areas. Permitted-by-right uses within the Municipal Use District are those operated by the City of Reading, alone or in partnership with other government entities.
I. The P-S Penn Square Corridor Overlay Zone is intended to maintain the historic and pedestrian-friendly environment and promote retail and service businesses along key blocks of Penn Street in Center City Reading.
J. The INS Institutional Overlay Zone is intended to provide for the main campuses of colleges, universities, health-care facilities and certain other institutional uses. The intent is to allow greater flexibility and permitted by right approvals within the core campuses of institutions.