Proposal calls for nearly 200 apartments on former Easton Days Inn property

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A special committee appointed by Easton Mayor Sal Panto has urged city council to approve a plan to add nearly 200 apartment units, artist studios and 32,000 square feet of combined retail, office, and entertainment space to downtown Easton on the former Days Inn property.

The committee recommended Peron Development of Bethlehem as the developer of the nearly 4-acre site at the corner of Larry Holmes Drive and South Third Street. The committee interviewed the developers, ranked and rated their proposals, and held a subsequent clarification meeting to confirm their finalist.

City council will review the committee’s recommendation and plans to make a decision on the developer on March 11.

According to a presentation on the city’s website, the proposal calls for a mixed-use project called The Confluence, comprised of three buildings that overlook the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. The project at 185 S. Third St. would include 227 parking spaces. City Hall is next door, which has a capacity of 236 spaces.

Project amenities would include a kayak/bike share for residents, the construction of a rooftop park to offer views of the waterfront, and walkability improvements.

The project would go up across from the Heritage Riverview project under construction, the future home of Hearst Magazines.

Peron is also developing the Easton North Third Street Apartments, also called, The Seville, a 70-unit apartment building on the North Third Street parking lot.

Matthew Malozi, president of Civitas Regio of Allentown, a civil engineering firm that’s part of the development team, said the design is still in progress, largely driven by the public nature of the project.

The city has a desire for the community to be involved in the process, he added.

Fourteen of the 17 committee members voted in favor of the proposal, he said. Furthermore, the city will host several public meetings about the proposal throughout the fall.

“The initial proposal was very sensitive to the historic district,” Malozi said. “It appears to me that the city is taking its time because they want a quality project, they want community involvement.”

The other firms that are part of Peron’s team on this project are USA Architects of Easton, Boyle Construction of South Whitehall Township and Omnes Landscape Architecture Planning & Art of Easton.

John Callahan, director of business development for Peron Development, said Easton offers a very strong quality of life and there’s a tremendous opportunity for high-end apartments.

He plans to start construction on The Seville project in April, which adds more residences to the downtown.

“We are very bullish on Easton and tried to present a development that has a very broad mix of uses,” Callahan said.

That includes the potential for a 60-room boutique hotel on the former Days Inn property, in addition to the other uses.

“Our first preference would be to put a hotel there,” Callahan said. “We are very early in the process. There’s a lot to work our way through. The plan really reflects a lot of the wishes of the committee.”

He estimated the project would be in the $70 million range.

Since the property is in a floodplain, the developers would elevate the structures on the land, which allows for parking on the ground floor. On the side closer to Fourth Street, there’s potential for underground parking, he added.