EASTON, Pa. — The city of Easton was honored with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Community of Distinction award for 2022 during Wednesday’s city council meeting.
Starting in 2014, the award has been presented every year to a municipality that demonstrates a strong commitment to planning excellence consistent with Future LV: The Regional Plan. The honor was presented to city council members and Mayor Sal Panto Jr. on June 29.
- Easton was presented with the Community of Distinction Award from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Wednesday evening
- The award honors communities that demonstrate a commitment to planning excellence consistent with Future LV: The Regional Plan
- Mayor Sal Panto Jr. noted the strong growth in the city thanks to staff and volunteers' hard work
LVPC Chairman Steven L. Glickman, Northampton County Executive Lamont G. McClure, Jr. and Executive Director Becky A. Bradley attended Wednesday’s meeting to present on of several Community of Distinction signs to the city and commend council members for a job well done.
McClure started off the presentation jokingly suggesting he should recuse himself, noting that “the county is a partner” in many of the missions the city of Easton has taken on to improve itself.
“But with that said, the people of the city of Easton are responsible for a remarkable renaissance. Not too very long ago, we can remember a city on the ropes. But thanks to the mayor's leadership and the leadership of you, the honorable members of the city council, and all of the entrepreneurs and investors that have come to the city of Easton, we can now say these things for certain, seizing on a rich history that dates to the American Revolution,” McClure said.
McClure went on to describe how Easton has taken advantage of an opportune location at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, and touted the D&L Trail, 123 festivals, parades, community events, a burgeoning restaurant scene, and destinations such as the Crayola Experience as valuable assets to the city’s “planning excellence.”
“Perhaps the most impressive is that the city has experienced a billion dollars’ worth of completed or proposed development, and most of the mixed-use redevelopment, built through partnerships and collaboration. It's enticing people to move into the urban core.”LVPC Lehigh County Chairman Steven L. Glickman
Glickman praised the tangible effects of the development and efforts which have led to the increase in businesses and population over the past few years.
“Perhaps the most impressive is that the city has experienced a billion dollars’ worth of completed or proposed development, and most of the mixed-use redevelopment, built through partnerships and collaboration. It's enticing people to move into the urban core,” said Glickman, an Easton architect.
Citing a regional plan to increase density in urban areas via projects that support walkability and public transit, Glickman commended Easton for “development [that] occurs in a sustainable manner.”
“For those examples, and many more, Easton is recognized as the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's 2022 Community of Distinction. Congratulations!” Glickman said.
McClure added the signs, which will be posted throughout the community, “they're not merely signs. They really are symbolic of what you have done.”
“It’s really interesting how far the city has come in the last 15, 16 years,” Panto said, noting his staff and numerous volunteers have been pivotal in making things happen across the city.
“And this is really the cherry on the top. To be named the Community of Distinction out of the 60-plus communities in the Lehigh Valley is really an honor.”
