EASTON, Pa.- A nonprofit group that wants to turn an old railyard in Easton into a small park is waiting on an important go-ahead from the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP) recently finished cleanup and soil remediation at the site at 400 Washington St. and submitted its final report to the DEP. “Essentially the report reads that it’s ready for its next life as a recreational use,” said GEDP Executive Director Jared Mast. “We have a clean site to work with.” 

GEDP purchased the 1.2-acre site off Lehigh Dr. and the Lehigh River in 2023 with plans to turn it into a park and trailhead. 

According to an analysis prepared by the group in 2024, the property operated as a rail yard, rail passenger depot and freight depot from the 1890s through the late 1970s. A portion was also used for a woodworking and furniture manufacturing facility in the 1960s. 

The site was abandoned in the 1970s, and all buildings on it were razed in the 1990s, GEDP said. 

Elevated levels of lead and arsenic were found in soil samples taken in 2022. It’s not known whether the contamination came from the railyard or from the woodworking and furniture manufacturing hub, the report said.

Site of planned Washington Street Park in Easton

WFMZ-TV | Amy Unger

But now remediation and testing have wrapped up. Once the DEP signs off on the final cleanup report, GEDP can refine its vision for the site. Mast said the trailhead will be part of the larger Easton Highline project, a recreational trail that will connect Easton and West Easton via 17.5 acres of dormant rail corridor.

Last month, the Highline project received a $500,000 grant from the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Once completed, it will become the city’s third-largest park.

But the Washington St. site also will function as a standalone park, with a pump track for bikes, scooters, skateboards and the like, as well as some passive recreational features, Mast said.

In addition to finalizing the layout, GEDP will also have to start raising money for the property’s transformation. “We were recently approved as a Waterfront Development Organization by the state of Pennsylvania,” Mast said, “so we have the ability to accept corporate gifts that would benefit the corporation with a 75% tax credit.”

The site is also being included as part of the group’s capital campaign. Mast estimated the price tag for the park and trailhead to be in the range of $1.5 million to $2 million.Â