The Easton Planning Commission reviewed a proposal for a 6-story residential building, which developers say would add housing to fast-growing Easton.
One resident alerted the commission that the building footprint arguably crosses into her property line.
The commission on Wednesday granted preliminary conditional approval for the mixed-use building at 509-511, 513-515 and 517-519 Northampton Street.
The project still requires final approval from the Zoning Hearing Board, and one of the conditions set by the commission is that an ongoing property-line dispute must be resolved before any final sign-off.
According to project engineer John Koutsouros of Carroll Engineering, the plan calls for a 75-foot-tall structure containing 50 residential units, including 45 one-bedroom apartments and five two-bedroom units. He said the building would also include roughly 790 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor and would sit on a combined lot area of about 10,990 square feet.
Koutsouros explained that the project includes 20 off-street parking spaces beneath the building, supplemented by 10 off-site spaces leased on Church Street.
He also told the commission that the plan includes relocating and planting street trees as required and that the application remains subject to engineering review, site-planning requirements and Historical Commission review.
During public comment, Bruna Dos Santos asserted that the building’s footprint encroaches on a stone wall, patio and pergola that have long marked her yard.
A resident argued that the footprint of a proposed residential building crosses into her property line. Circled above is where she says her patio and property boundary exists. The blue outline is the proposed building’s footprint. The issue is currently in litigation, and the Easton Planning Commission recommended that the project be approved if the issue is resolved.Courtesy of Easton Planning Commission
She demonstrated on Google Maps where the building would sit versus the location of her property. She showed that a portion of the building would cross into her outdoor patio.
“We are currently in litigation for this matter, and are hoping that we can delay any decisions until litigation is done,” Dos Santos said. “This [stone] wall has stood for over 40 years, has been the known, accepted property lines since then.”
City Solicitor Jeremy Clark said the issue is outside the commission’s jurisdiction, but they could add a condition to the approval that the litigation must be resolved. The plan was approved with this condition added.
Other conditions identified during the meeting included verifying emergency vehicle access and coordinating design details related to neighboring windows and property features.
Rent prices have not been finalized. The units are intended to be market-rate apartments, however, falling below the amenity-heavy luxury buildings in the city.
Brett Webber, a resident and architect, voiced support for infill development but raised concerns about the project’s scale and context on the historic block.
He referenced the limited retail frontage and the presence of blank street-level walls and parking access areas, saying they do not match the character of Northampton Street’s commercial corridor or the city’s broader neighborhood preservation goals.
“There are other proposals that have been coming through the planning commission, and they’re killing the streets and killing the historic nature of Easton,” he said.