Easton, Pa. — A new citizen-led nonprofit has officially launched in the city, bringing together residents and community advocates concerned about rapid downtown development, preservation standards and public access to planning decisions.
Preservation Easton is focused on strengthening historic preservation efforts while encouraging development that better reflects the city’s existing architectural character and historic district framework, the group said in a news release last week.
It held its first official meeting Tuesday, positioning itself as a bridge between preservation priorities and economic development goals, with an emphasis on zoning clarity, transparency in approvals and earlier public engagement in planning decisions.
Rapid growth and concerns over process
Vanessa Ungvarsky, a community advocate and spokesperson for Preservation Easton, said the effort emerged out of sustained neighborhood organizing and concern over how quickly the city’s downtown has changed in recent years.
“So in terms of specific projects [we’re targeting], we don't have those yet,” she said.
“We have some ideas and we're trying to get the community together to first identify what areas we should focus on first, being downtown with a lot of the developments that have happened so quickly the past few years.
Ungvarsky said many residents support redevelopment but feel new projects have not consistently reflected the historic character of the area.
“Many of us feel that we really wanted these developments, but most of the time they have not brought about the character that really fits in with the historic downtown,” she said.
Ungvarsky noted that Easton’s designated historic district — from the Delaware River to Sixth Street — adds an additional layer of planning responsibility that she believes is not always clearly reflected in how development decisions are communicated.
“We were in a designated area, and when we look across where the developments have happened versus where they're going now, we have a business and entertainment district, and that should be treated differently than some of our residential streets,” she said.
She also pointed to what she described as inconsistencies in how zoning and historic review processes are sequenced and communicated to the public.
“Making sure that our zoning and our historic district commission processes flow at the right, I guess, the right chronological order, that's been a little bit fuzzy too,” she said.
Transparency and neighborhood mobilization
Ungvarsky said her involvement deepened after a prolonged dispute over a proposed development near her home, which she said raised concerns about public notification and access to records.
“There was a lot of, I would say, lack of transparency, I guess is the best way to describe it, in terms of what meetings had happened, we weren't properly notified several times throughout this,” she said.
She also said residents encountered barriers when attempting to navigate public records requests.
“Our right-to-know requests, there were a lot of discrepancies in how those were handled and how they were not handled, and we ultimately couldn't do it as a citizen. We could not make the appropriate right-to-know requests without the assistance of an attorney, and that shouldn't happen,” she said.
Those experiences, she said, helped bring together neighbors, including longtime downtown residents who were involved in Easton’s historic preservation efforts decades ago.
“A group of us were getting together, and a lot of these folks, or I would say about half of them, were part of the original historic district movement back in the late 70s, early 80s,” she said.
Ungvarsky described the city’s growth as both welcome and challenging.
“We love to see how much the city has grown, how much people love coming down here,” she said. “but in doing that, I think we've gotten a little over our skis.
“We have a lot of problems that … we just need to just slow down and make sure that, you know, everybody's in a line, and the community is together.”
“We love to see how much the city has grown, how much people love coming down here,” she said. “but in doing that, I think we've gotten a little over our skis."Vanessa Ungvarsky of Preservation Easton
Growth, disagreement and shared concerns
While opinions differ on recent development, Ungvarsky said there is broad agreement that growth must be sustainable and better integrated into existing neighborhoods.
“It's a mix, because some people had no idea, and it would have forever impacted their backyard,” she said.
“But I think you know, even when people disagree, or when we have, you know, people who love the new apartments that are in downtown, I think that they do understand that it's not sustainable to keep that level of growth and development happening.”
She said concerns about density and scale are often tied to infrastructure capacity and long-term planning.
“We want to make sure that whatever comes in next, that it marries together, you know, the old and the new, and we make sure that we get it right,” she said.
“We want to make sure that whatever comes in next, that it marries together, you know, the old and the new, and we make sure that we get it right."Vanessa Ungvarsky of Preservation Easton
Collaboration with city leaders
Ungvarsky said the group is not intended to oppose municipal leadership, but rather to improve communication and ensure residents are informed earlier in the planning process.
“I do think that we're being heard,” she said. “I think we are heard, and I think that, you know, the group on a whole, our group is open to having those conversations and that dialog.”
She added that a key goal is closing gaps in public awareness.
“It's also a lack of, you know, communication where we've, as we experience people just didn't know these things were coming, and then after they're coming, people have opinions about it, and they didn't have the opportunity to maybe get involved, and I think that's maybe where we want to bridge,” she said.
Preservation and economic opportunity
The group also sees opportunity in expanding heritage tourism and strengthening awareness of Easton’s architectural history.
“Easton is a very, very significant city in our nation's history,” Ungvarsky said. “I do think we have a big opportunity to grow that, and you know that that really is what makes Easton Easton.”
Organizers say Preservation Easton will continue developing priorities around zoning, adaptive reuse and community engagement as the group begins its work following its public launch.
Learn more at https://preservationeaston.com/.
