EASTON, Pa. — The city Planning Commission has voted to recommend approval of plan that would see the city and the Rock Church officially split the historic Hooper House and Timothy House.
The city and church reached an agreement on the contested property.
City departments now are working out details to legally separate the two lots and begin work on improvements to the Hooper House, while letting the Rock Church maintain the Timothy House.
Planners voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of recommending the zoning hearing board grant the subdivision approval. The Hooper House lot will encompass 1,417.04 square feet, while the Timothy House lot will be 2,019.94 square feet.Easton Planning Commission
Planners voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of recommending the zoning hearing board grant the subdivision approval.
The Hooper House lot will encompass 1,417.04 square feet, while the Timothy House lot will be 2,019.94 square feet.
The city zoning administrator determined a variance was needed because the minimum lot requirement is 2,000 square feet, Easton Planning Administrator Carl Manges said.
The Zoning Hearing Board granted approval on Dec. 15.
Manges said the plan "is generally consistent with the comprehensive plan and city codes” in the downtown street corridor zoning district in which it's located.
'Let them keep the property'
Easton Public Works Director David Hopkins explained the background of the dispute between the city and the church and the reason for the subdivision.
“There was a court settlement between the Rock Church and the city of Easton, where they contested the taking as being an overreach," Hopkins said.
"And through negotiations, the city conceded that we would let them keep the property.
“Initially, the city was intending to either demo or improve that — we hadn't gotten that far — the current Timothy House, and through the negotiation, we agreed that we would allow the Rock Church to keep the Timothy house."
“Its final use has not yet been determined, but the intent is to improve it weather seal it, and make it habitable for some form of use in the future."Easton Public Works Director David Hopkins
That decision was provided the church use the proceeds from the sale, which were about $350,000, to improve the exterior of the Timothy House, and use any remaining funds "for the church proper.”
Hopkins there's work yet to be done in the planning process, but the agreement eventually sets up a committee of sorts with officials from both the city and the church.
Hopkins said the city is looking to secure approval from the Historic District Commission to place a construction wrap — “probably Americana-themed,” Hopkins said — around front of Hopkins House to seal it and keep it secure.
After that, the city would begin fundraising to improve the building.
“Its final use has not yet been determined, but the intent is to improve it, weather seal it, and make it habitable for some form of use in the future,” Hopkins said.
Planning board member William Heilman asked solicitor Joel Scheer if there were any other outstanding issues with the property; Scheer said there are not.
Hopkins said a shared wall on the property between the Hooper House and an integrated structure, appears to be on the city’s lot. The Timothy House is separated from these two structures by 6 to 8 inches.
Data center discussion
Planners also briefly discussed data centers, touching upon how Easton could legally develop protections via the city code.
No official actions were taken, and the commission agreed to discuss the issue again in February.
“I know this is a topic that is certainly provoking a lot of interest and discussion, not only in our region, but in many places around the country,"Easton Planning Commission Chairman Ken Greene
“I know this is a topic that is certainly provoking a lot of interest and discussion, not only in our region, but in many places around the country," Planners Chairman Ken Greene said.
"And a concern about what that would mean, particularly for water usage, electricity usage and how that could impact a community where warehouses were a wave.
"Certainly that impacted the Lehigh Valley because of our location as a logistics center."
Commissioner Hubert Etchison said he felt descriptions of data centers were problematic, as it is “very generalized in terms of what a data center would fall under.”
“From what I saw, the way that we would have to interpret an application for a data center falls into such a loosely defined use pattern that there are very little protections for our community on that development,” Etchison said.
He later said, “It would be too easy to get one through, because it’s not regulated.”
Look to surrounding communities
Discussions on the various sizes of data centers — including hyperscale, which can be over 1 million square feet — were met by a response from city Planning and Codes Director Dwayne Tillman.
Tillman said the majority of data centers would only be permissible by special exception in certain zones.
"We'd be better off doing that sooner than later."Easton Planning Commission Chairman Ken Greene
“But to Mister Etchison’s concerns, I feel the same way: There should be more depth for each use and more requirements on top of those uses for each one when you break them down,” Tillman said.
“So I talked with [Director of Planning] Craig Beavers from Palmer, and their ordinance kind of breaks down each use and has requirements for each one.”
Planners agreed to contact surrounding municipalities that have made zoning amendments to address data centers, review the information the commission had on hand and reconvene next month to discuss the matter further.
“So if we're going to make any kind of recommendation to council and add some things, whether we wordsmith all the language, or we simply broad brush it a little bit and give it to council and the staff to consider, I think, you know, we'd be better off doing that sooner than later,” Greene said.
