EASTON, Pa. — A proposal to build a five-story housing and commercial development was rejected Wednesday by the Easton Planning Commission, which said the site didn't meet city requirements.
Planners denied ANR Development's request for a waiver from Easton's subdivision and land ordinance requirement that alleys must be 14 feet wide.
- The proposed building would house 34 apartments, an underground parking garage and commercial space in five stories
- It's at the site of the the former Brith Shalom synagogue built in 1842
- Residents opposed the plans and said the volume of traffic would not fit in the alleyway of Lerch and Duke courts
The proposed site — the former Brith Shalom synagogue built in 1842 at 34-42 S. 6th St. — has a 10-foot-wide alleyway, Lerch Court, which intersects with Duke Court. It was built before current city guidelines were enacted.
“Compliance with the subdivision and land development ordinances would be an absolute hardship in that it is impossible under the approved plans or under really any scenario to do so,” said Stephanie Kobal, an attorney with Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, representing ANR Development.
Plans for residential and commercial spaces have been in the works for 18 months. The plans call for a five-story building with 34 apartments and a parking garage beneath it.
Complicating matters was that plans for the apartment complex had already been granted conditional final approval in 2021. Kobal said that during the approval process, the guidelines in question weren't a specific condition of approval.
Members of the planning commission investigated how, after months of planning, this issue got overlooked.
“I would say that during the review process, and as indicated by the engineer's note, the roadway width that was being provided or being utilized to access the parking was not provided and evidently wasn’t flagged by any other review body as a piece of information that was needed prior to the board voting subsequently,” said Chris Geary of Acela Architects and Engineers in Allentown, representing the applicant and engineer for the project.
Neighborhood residents said they don't believe the alley would accommodate the cars accessing the multi-family and commercial site.
They said they are worried about increased traffic and the potential decrease in parking availability. They said they're also concerned about how it would affect their property values.
"Concerned Easton citizens should design a peaceful urban space honoring our city’s unique 18th and 19th century Jewish cultural heritage.”Antonia Barriga Mitman
“This is new construction,” said Mark Calafatello, a property owner in the neighborhood. “This is not a renovation. This is not a rehab. It’s a blank slate. So in my belief, allowing that waiver is a financial hardship to everyone who owns land that you abandoned and burdened us with.”
The Brith Shalom synagogue was destroyed by fire in 2004. Pieces of the original foundation remain.
Antonia Barriga Mitman told planners that the synagogue was historic and noted at the time of the fire it was one of the oldest synagogues in America.
Mitman wrote in a statement to the planning commission that instead of an apartment complex and commercial space, someone should “design a peaceful urban space honoring our city’s unique 18th and 19th century Jewish cultural heritage.”
