West Reading officials approve purchase of gas station and service center

May 23—West Reading Borough Council has approved the purchase of a gas station and service center on Penn Avenue.

Council members voted unanimously at a meeting Tuesday to authorize entering into an agreement of sale with the owners of Schweitzer's Service Center at 433 Penn Ave.

"In the short term, we are looking at demolishing the site, remediating and preparing it for parking and community use," Ryan Lineaweaver, council president, previously told the Reading Eagle.

In the long term, the borough aims to incorporate the property into a larger project to expand the business district, spur redevelopment along the 400 block of Penn Avenue and beyond, and increase parking, walkability and community space, officials noted.

The borough is legally bound to purchase the property at its appraised value of $675,000, Lineaweaver said.

Schweitzer's is owned by Donald and Marla Schweitzer of Oley Township, according to county records.

The Schweitzers could not be reached for comment.

In April, the borough approved a $1.3 million bond issuance that covers the cost of the buying the site, as well as the demolition, potential remediation needs and site development.

Lineaweaver noted the borough's interest in the property ties into the approval of a downtown master plan in 2021, which he said acts as a road map for Penn Avenue's future.

"Over 20 years ago, previous borough leadership embarked on a $6 million project that forever reshaped our business districts," Lineaweaver said in a Facebook post. "This project has an eye towards the future, much in the same mold as the streetscape project once did — for just a fraction of the cost."

The master plan was prepared by Derck & Edson of Lancaster County in collaboration with borough officials, business leaders and community members.

It envisions a sweeping agenda of public and private partnership that includes revising the rules for zoning and land use to incentivize private development; creating a business improvement district; collaborating on redevelopment with property owners, businesses and nearby municipalities; and seeking new sources of state funding and technical resources.

One of the proposals is to redevelop the area surrounding Delaney Circle to expand pedestrian access to the space, which is currently limited by Delaney Circle being enclosed within a traffic circle.

Achieving that could involve eliminating part of that traffic circle, as well as the southern part of Tulpehocken Avenue.

Doing so would ease pedestrian access to the circle, enable the development of new mixed-use buildings on the former Tulpehocken Avenue and create a unique sense of place for community events, according to the borough's downtown plan.

That option could also create about 90 parking spaces by incorporating south Tulpehocken Avenue and bordering areas, including the Schweitzer's plot and a GNA Ristorante parking lot.

Lineaweaver noted the option was presented as a possibility and officials have yet to formalize any plans for the Schweitzer's lot.

"At this time we're largely keeping our options open regarding future use of the site," Lineaweaver told the Eagle.

The borough has no exact timeline but expects the Schweitzer site remediation and demolition to wrap up by year-end, officials noted.

Other redevelopment goals proposed by the borough's downtown master plan include:

—A new plaza for community events at Sixth and Penn avenues.

—The redevelopment or rehabilitation of the West Reading Shopping Center and adjacent areas by encouraging retail, dining, office, or residential development.

—New storefronts and restaurants along Reading Avenue.

—New parking space along Cherry and Court streets.

—An expanded Mural Arts Walk with better wayfinding signs, lighting and traffic mediation to enhance pedestrian safety.

—Incorporating the area between First and Third avenues, and Penn Avenue and Chestnut Street into a larger "Chocolate District," involving the redevelopment of aging and largely vacant industrial properties to attract small artisan production businesses, fitness studios, restaurants and apartments with enhanced views and access to the Schuylkill River.