EASTON, Pa. — Easton could get a new scenic hotel.
The city's planning commission on Wednesday night approved a land development plan for The Grand Riverview Hotel, which would have eight floors of guest rooms, a three-story garage along with off-street parking, a fitness center and rooftop terrace at 303 S. Delaware Drive.
- Planners approved land development and lot consolidation for three parcels
- The Grand Riverview Hotel will sit off Route 611 and look over the Delaware River
- The hotel features rooftop, meeting and event spaces, a fitness center and terrace facing the river
The hotel would sit off Route 611, overlooking the Delaware River, offering front-facing rooms a view of the water.
The hotel would be on three parcels owned by developer Terry Briggs with the Chester Franklin Group.
Representatives of the project told the planning commission that 102 trees have been added to site plans. In July, the commission noted that while 140 new trees were being proposed, 204 trees would be removed from the site.
Planning commission member Ronald Shipman raised concerns about whether the plan meets state Department of Transportation requirements for accommodating traffic off Route 611.
"We have two driveways. We have one that’s full service in and out and another one that is just an inbound only."Alan Fornwalt project engineer for the Grand Riverview Hotel
Project engineer Alan Fornwalt said the site will have two driveways, and they are securing permits.
“We have one [driveway] that’s full service in and out, and another one that is just an inbound only,” Fornwalt said. “They look at the site distance from the curve on 611 and … [planning commission members] don't want parking immediately off of the roadway and want to make sure that they see a driveway that has significant 'throat length' before you have any sort of parking facility.”
Fornwalt said drafts for stormwater runoff also still are being designed while additional staircases for fire safety have been worked into plans.
