Downtown Easton is gaining another high-rise housing development, but it’s not rentals this time.
The Easton Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously granted final approval for a seven-story mixed-use condominium building. The development, known as The Lynden, is proposed at 101 S. Third St.
The development will contain condo units for sale, 20,542 square feet of retail space and parking.
The project would involve demolishing an existing two-story commercial building, currently housing Fidelity Bank, and constructing the 73-unit building. This includes 15 one-bedroom units, 36 two-bedroom units and 22 three-bedroom units.
According to floor plans on the development’s website, one-bedroom units are starting at $370,000, two-bedroom units at $495,000 and three-bedroom units at $640,000. Three-bedroom units with terraces start around $825,000, with the highest-priced unit offered at $1.2 million.
The building will include 43 internal parking spaces accessed from Bank Street, as well as 40 additional spaces secured through a parking agreement with the City of Easton. Amenities include a gym, conference room, bicycle storage, and a courtyard above the parking level with grills and fire pits.
This rendering shows ground floor parking and retail layout for a proposed 7-story condo development in Downtown Easton.Courtesy of Serfass Construction
Prior to final approval, the project needed a special exception for a 22,367-square-foot building footprint exceeding the 16,000-square-foot base maximum, but fell within the 24,000-square-foot limit allowed by special exception.
The commission granted preliminary approval on Sept. 3, and the Zoning Hearing Board later approved the special exception.
At that September commission meeting, residents approached the podium with concerns about the development. Many were concerned that the building was too large and did not fit into Easton’s historic character.
The Historic District Commission approved the design on Oct. 14, and Easton City Council issued a Certificate of Appropriateness on Oct. 24.
Developer Kevin Serfass from Serfass Construction Co. said a sales gallery with a model unit is scheduled to open Feb. 11 at 16 Centre Square in Easton, with pre-sales beginning the same day.
“Today, we have almost 1,000 people signed up for our list with interest. We have 127 tours already scheduled. We’re booked from now all the way until March already,” Serfass said. “So we’re seeing a ton of interest. We’re anxiously ready to get started, if the ground ever thaws out.”
During the meeting, Commissioner William Heilman asked whether the building would still be constructed if sales targets were not met.
“It’s possible. I don’t think it’s realistic,” Serfass said.
He explained that financing requires minimum pre-sales but said he anticipates meeting those thresholds based on current demand.
Serfass also told commissioners that the site was identified about a year ago as one of the last larger lots suitable for a project of this scale. He added that any similar future developments would likely be smaller infill projects.
“If this is successful, we’re going to be looking for some more [lots],” Serfass said.