Former legal office in Easton may become apartment building

EASTON, Pa. — A former law office in Easton’s West Ward neighborhood may soon find new life as an eight-unit apartment building.

The city Zoning Hearing Board on Monday granted a special exception to allow conversion of 831 Lehigh St. into an apartment building.

Easton’s Planning Commission recommended approval for the plan at its July 3 meeting, provided the owners adhere to any recommendations from the zoning board.

Jeff Martinson, architect and owner of The Martinson Group, said he was unaware of the complete history of the building, but knew “in 2016, the owner at that time commissioned local architects to prepare plans for renovation of the building for offices on the upper floors.”

That plan eventually was abandoned as there was “no real need for the offices,” Martinson said.

“And we expect to create residential units within the confines of the building today, and honor the existing detailings,” he said.

“There's some very beautiful stairs in there, and fireplaces and architectural detailing, which we want to express as part of the final renovation plan.”

Changes over the years

According to a listing from Realty.com, the building was constructed in 1900 by a slate baron and his family, who resided there until 1938, when it was purchased by the Knights of Columbus to be used as a lodge.

In 2001, the building again was sold, and the first floor was flipped into legal offices.

Plans for the premises include removing exterior walkways to provide access to a unit on the lowest level of the building.

The current main entrance would serve as a lobby of sorts, Martinson said, leading to most of the apartments. A stair tower in the northeast corner of the property will serve as an entry point to other units.

Seven of the apartments will be one-bed, one-bath units of 850 to 900 square feet, while the lower unit will be a two-bed, two-bath unit.

Additional space in the basement may be converted into common space for the tenants, Martinson said.

Martinson said plans are to rent the units at market rate.

Jim Hughes, speaking on behalf of himself and his partner on the project, Joseph Moussa, said work on the project should be relatively minimal.

“I mean, for the most part, we're not going to make any changes other than fixing the outside exterior of the building and maybe making minor changes to the porch, which is in complete disrepair," Hughes said.

"It's really structurally on the outside, that's the only cosmetic thing that needs to be fixed.”

Parking debated

Board Chairman Michael Civitella confirmed with Martinson that while the plans for the building were not finalized, the number of apartments would be set at eight.

“It’s difficult matching that up with existing requirements, windows, natural lighting, natural ventilation requirements, those types of things," Martinson said.

While discussion on the special exception moved efficiently in the meeting, parking proved to be a sticking point.

Under current codes, the proposed eight-unit building would have to offer 12 parking spots for residents, or 1.5 spaces for each apartment.

The property currently includes a 21-spot parking lot, providing more than ample space.

Solicitor Robert Nitchkey advised the board to attach a stipulation to the approval that would bar the owners from renting any excess parking to non-residents.

Hughes countered with a proposal in which “if we have excess space, and there was a neighbor across the street that doesn’t want to park on the street because he can’t find good parking and he wants to rent from us, as a good neighbor, I probably would say, ‘Fine, you know, I’ll give it to you for $100 a month, if there’s excess space.”

Martinson went so far as to suggest the board set a minimum of two spaces per unit at the property, with an addendum that any additional spaces could be rented to residents on a monthly basis.