Downtown Reading: Historic

Foundations, New Beginnings

By Aaron Gantz, Executive Director of Downtown Revitalization, GRCA

The vision fordowntown Reading:

a place where people want to live,work, and play. A place where busi-nesses and entrepreneurs thrive andinvest. Reading is steeped in history:from an industrial past to a railroadhub to a shopping destination. Read-ing’s future, however, is somethingwe want to actively shape: a vibrant,diverse urban center that providesoutstanding nightlife and dining,easy access to trails, and a thrivingbusiness community.

That’s why the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance, along with the City ofReading, the Berks Alliance, and the BerksCounty Community Foundation are leading efforts to revitalize downtown.Here’s where GRCA is focusing efforts:• Encourage and facilitate economic developmentto strengthen the downtown Reading commer-cial core and the surrounding neighborhoods;

• Attract and retain quality investment in down-

town Reading;

• Cultivate an environment where businesses and

entrepreneurs thrive in downtown Reading;

• Foster a positive perception of downtown

Reading with the city viewed as a unique and

attractive place for business, entertainment,

and living.

While we work collectivity to addressboth challenges and opportunities in thedowntown area, it is important to highlightkey assets and accomplishments.• Arts and entertainment continue to be a vital

draw bringing people into downtown Reading

with various performance venues, art centers,

and art galleries

• Over the last two decades downtown Reading

has welcomed over $251+ million in investment

in key projects including:

• $30+ million at Reading Area Community College – one of the anchor institutions indowntown Reading at 2nd and Penn Streets

• $36+ million in “Entertainment Square” com-prised of the Goggleworks Center for the Arts,Goggleworks Apartments, and the IMAXmovie theater

• $50+ million in the Santander Arena and San-tander Performing Arts Center – anchor thecommercial corridor on Penn Street

• $60 million for the DoubleTree by Hilton – a topperforming DoubleTree in the nationCurrently, projects underway in down-

town Reading are estimated between $10and 20 million in total investment uponcompletion in the next 1-3 years. In addi-tion, there are mixed-use, residential, retail,and office redevelopment opportunities -35 properties to be exact. These propertiesare actively being marketed to the invest-ment and the development community locally, regionally, and beyond.

FOCUS ON READING REVITALIZATION

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What to Expect in 2019Marketing Available Downtown Properties

GRCA is using its online property data-base, GreaterReadingSites.com, to providea special focus on marketing those proper-ties that offer available space in downtownReading. Businesses and entrepreneurs canaccess information so that they can explorebecoming part of the business fabric of thedowntown. This past summer, in partner-ship with the Reading-Berks CommercialIndustrial Council, we hosted a downtownwalking tour, bringing realtors and brokersinto the downtown to see firsthand what isavailable for their business clients. We areplanning to replicate this model on a smallerscale in 2019 offering several, more intimatewalking tour starting in the late springthrough the fall.

Penn Street MarketOne of the events in 2018 that brought to-

gether downtown workers and residentsseeking the convenience of obtaining freshand locally grown food items was the PennStreet Market. And from June 7 to September27 these groups had easy access to locallygrown fresh fruits and vegetables, lunchtimeofferings, nutrition education, and entertain-ment in the 400 block of Penn Street everyThursday from 10 AM to 2 PM. In 2018, mar-

ket transactions increased by 13% from 2017.The market team is preparing for a biggerand better season in 2019 which kicks-off onJune 6!

Downtown ConcertsIn 2018, we saw the Downtown Alive

concert series attract thousands of people to the downtown area. Funded by the Berks County Community Foundation, thesummer concert series was produced andexecuted by the Reading Downtown Im-provement District. This summer we canexpect to see more of the same in terms ofattendance and the caliber of artists whobring their sounds to our downtown area.

Streetscape & Façade Improvements

You may not know that downtownReading’s walkability score is 94/100, mak-ing it a “Walker’s Paradise,” according towalkscore.com. Downtown Reading is alsohome to several iconic Harry Bertoia sculp-tures: “Untitled” and “Island Moss” are inthe 600 block of Penn Street; “Tulip” is at theMiller Center for the Arts, 4 N. Second St.,near Reading Area Community College.Coupled with some truly one-of-a-kind his-torical architecture, the streetscape is a hid-den gem. As part of the strategic plan, therehas been special focus on the physical envi-ronment and greening of Penn Street withplant scape plans and identifying buildingsfor facade improvement investment.

In 2018 six downtown Reading propertyowners took advantage of nearly $50,000total of facade improvement funding madepossible by the Berks Alliance. Because thiswas a matching grant program, it is esti-mated that over $150,000 in investment wasmade collectively. Matching funds will beavailable in 2019 to downtown Readingproperties via the GRCA.

These very visible improvements and in-vestments help ensure that downtownReading provides the vibrant, clean, safeand desirable downtown streetscape wherepeople want to be.

A Measurable VisionSuccess of this revitalization effort will

be measured with a few quantitative andqualitative indicators. From tracking retaildevelopment, to taking a hard look atdowntown housing indicators, to down-town design indicators, there are manypieces that must move together to create asuccessful downtown.

The time is now to create the Reading wewish to work, live, and play in. The work—and the opportunity—is ahead.

Check us out: Downtown Reading Facebook page@downtownReading and

Downtown Reading Instagram@downtownReading

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Judy’s on CherryReading native, Judy Henry, is the chef-

owner of Judy’s on Cherry, located indowntown Reading. Henry is a singlewoman restauranteur who has dedicatedher entire life to participating in Reading’sfuture and contributing to the vibrancy ofReading. She is a visionary whounderstood early on that downtown wasthe place where young upwardly-mobileprofessionals would want to live andexperience an urban lifestyle.

Judy’s on Cherry is a beautifullyrenovated, Mediterranean-inspired finedining restaurant in the heart ofdowntown Reading. At Judy’s you’ll baskin the warm glow of vaulted woodenceilings, gorgeous appointments andrelaxed, comfortable service. Judy’s hearth

fired oven turns out everything fromfreshly baked focaccia bread to crispy,gourmet pizzas, pastas and tapas-likesmall plates.

Henry also owns and operates a sisterrestaurant and pub, the Speckled Hen,located next door in an authenticallyrestored 18th century log house. Beforeopening her own restaurants, Henry hadmade a name for herself with innovativecooking at The Peanut Bar and Restaurant,another local area landmark. Judy says she

hopes “her unique restaurant gives peoplea reason to come back to downtown. Sheoffers a one of a kind urban fine diningexperience that the ‘burbs simply don’thave.”

Judy’s on Cherry is located at 30 South4th Street, Reading, PA 19602. If using GPS,please be aware of it taking you to WestReading. Map Quest in particular willdirect you to the Penn Avenue (19611) exitfrom route 422. Please be aware there is a4th and Cherry Street address in WestReading and many of our new guestsmistakenly end up there.

$1 parking is available across the street11:30 am - 5:00 pm. Free parking acrossthe street after 5:00 pm. Please call610.374.8511 for reservations, and visit:www.judysoncherry.com.

Mi Casa Su CasaMi Casa Su Casa Cafe / Restaurant,

located at 320 Penn Street in downtownReading, is a Dominican Breakfast andBrunch restaurant specializing in cafe,comida Latino Americana, comfort,community, conversation and creative arts.Mi Casa Su Casa is a family business thattreats all customers like family andprovides them with a home-away-from-home dining experience.

Mi Casa Su Casa is Spanish for “myhouse is your house,” providing a homeaway from home type of ambiance &environment. We are located in downtownReading, on Penn Street just off the Rt.422exit, two blocks from the bridge. Parking isprovided in the rear.

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Judy’s on Cherry

FOCUS ON READING REVITALIZATION

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Cuban Sandwich

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Shuman Development Group (SDG),Reading’s premier commercial real estatedevelopment company, was founded in1994 by husband and wife team Alan andMarina Shuman. After years of experi-ence doing one-off projects (and honingreal estate development skills) restoringhistorical, multi-unit residential proper-ties and smaller-scale commercial sites,SDG switched its focus to long-termneighborhood rebuilding.

This turning point came about in 2006with SDG’s acquisition of the formerReading Outlet Center (ROC) buildings.This set of ten buildings (comprising over640,000 square feet of space and coveringsix city blocks) was vacant and deteriorat-ing — essentially a ghost town, eventhough it was the commercial heart ofNortheast Reading.

Over the next ten years — building bybuilding — SDG followed its neighbor-hood revitalization plan. Originally theplan called for some parks, green space,additional off-street parking, and a newplayground. However, while the Countywas on-board with working together tomake this happen, the various Cityadministrations countered that theirresources were needed elsewhere andwould not be used in any way for thisneighborhood. Still not diminished andever-persistent, SDG forged ahead andby 2016 had renovated nine of theexisting ROC buildings, with a totalinvestment of over $40 million.

The neighborhood now also boasts oneof the finest apartment complexes in thearea — Big Mill Apartments (located inthe former Nolde and Horst Shoe factory)— now with 69 huge, two-bedroom/twobath apartments. They feature all themodern conveniences while maintainingtheir historical charm, like all exposedheavy timber beams and huge windowswith views of the Pagoda and theReading City’s skyline.

This long-term project proved that agrand plan, with persistent and steadyefforts towards its completion, can turnaround even the most deterioratedneighborhood. Now, SDG is focused onReading’s Central Business District (thedowntown) with its renovation of theformer Exide Battery Building (locatedcaddy-corner from the SantanderArena) and the M&T Bank Building(located at 5th and Washington Streets).Further, in May of 2018 the occupancypermit was issued for the historicAbraham Lincoln, which SDG hadrenovated and converted from astruggling hotel into 97 upscaleapartments with associated parking,retail, and event space on the lowerfloors. This site is now bustling as welland has proved there is a huge demandfor nice residential units in downtownReading: SDG had over 500 applicantsfor the 97 units within the first sixweeks.

… But there’s more! SDG has severalother projects that it hopes to announce inDowntown Reading in the next year and,while there is still much work to do, has aplan to revitalize this area following itstried and proven strategy of long-term,consistent, and focused neighborhoodrevitalization.

For additional information, please call 610.736.9393 and visit: www.InvestinReading.com.

SHUMAN DEVELOPMENTGROUP

FOCUS ON READING REVITALIZATION

Hours of operation are Monday –Saturday from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Mi Casa Su Casa also serves DinnerBuffet every Thursday at Caliente’s Nightat the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1741 PapermillRd, Reading, PA, 19610. Food is servedfrom 6 PM to 9 PM.

Mi Casa Su Casa also can be found atShillington Farmers Market, 10 S SummitAve, Reading, on Thursday and Friday

(9 AM to 7 PM) and Saturday (9 AM to4 PM).

Catering Available Upon Request andExtended Hours Available Upon Requestfor Parties of 10 or More by ReservationOnly.

For additional information, please call610.375.1161; email: Johannycepeda@gmail.com; and visit: www.micasasucasacafe.com.

My name is Jim Gonzalez, a20-year EDI veteran. I amfrom the Reading PA andBerks County area. I graduat-ed from Berks TechnicalInstitute in 1998 with an

Associate’s Degree in AS/400 program-ming. I was then hired by KissingerAssociates as a programmer in January of1998 to work on MAS90/MAS200.

Six months into the position I was askedto move to Technical Support to learn EDIas well as other formats for inte-gration. That was when I got areal EDI education — learninghow to handle client EDI sup-port, onsite installation of EDIsoftware, and how to run for-mal EDI training classes and manage sup-port staff as well as consultants.

I consider myself to be well versed in allaspects of EDI, and what it takes to supportan organization. I also have extensive ex-perience in Sage ERP products. I wouldconsider myself an established professionalin this industry. I work with clients to offersupport for daily processing, bringing onnew integrations and planning towards thefuture of where to take their organization. I have a knack for learning the deficienciesin any company I work with and turningthose deficiencies into areas of success.

One problem that I enjoy solving for myclients is helping them to become moreself-sufficient. Client’s would say I am allabout improving their business processesand making EDI profitable again. I ampassionate about being the client’sadvocate when it comes to dealing withsoftware companies, EDI TradingPartners, and other organizations theyneed help with navigating. I know I havedone my job well when I see clientsgrowing and are profitable.

On a personal note, fam-ily and friends are impor-tant to me. In my sparetime, you can find me eitherwedding planning (myown), learning, reading,

watching sports or spending time with mydogs. I love to laugh and have a good timewith good people. I grew up in Readingand still live in Berks County. Although I have traveled all over the country, I wouldnever call anywhere else home. I volunteerwith the Children’s Home of Reading andalso support the local Animal RescueLeague. When asked how I want to be re-membered, I say, “I want to be remem-bered as a great Dad, loving family memberand friend. I want people to think of me asworking side by side with them. Your nameis the only thing you can take with you.”

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The Guy Behind EDI Support LLC

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Reading Hospital has been the center-piece of healthcare in the Greater Readingand Berks County region for 150 years, firstopening their doors to patients on January27, 1868, as the Reading Dispensary locatedat 618 Court Street. Little did they know, itwould become the nationally recognized,flagship hospital of Tower Health, anaward-winning, integrated health systemserving southeastern Pennsylvania. Acentury and a half later, Reading Hospitalis still providing advanced, comprehen-sive, and compassionate care to improvethe health and wellness of our community.Beyond what happens within their walls,which eventually moved from Court Street

to their existing location in West Reading in1926, the hospital has also been animportant part of our economy andcommunity. Now under the leadership ofnewly named President and CEO BillJennings, Reading Hospital and TowerHealth are taking healthcare to newheights by empowering YOU – the peopleof Berks County and beyond – to live yourhealthiest lives.

Reading Hospital Tower Health