Former West Ward Club Gets Approval to Become Deli

By Christina Georgiou

Architect Jeff Martinson, right, with property owner
Peter Tomino, present plans to the Easton Zoning
Hearing Board Monday night to convert the former
Weston Club into a delicatessen and neighborhood
convenience store. An application to use the lower
level of the building as a rental party hall was
withdrawn and may be presented at a later date.

The former Weston Club, located at 1317 Lehigh St., got the approval of the city's zoning hearing board 3-2 to become a delicatessen and neighborhood convenience store Monday night, but applicant Peter Tomino will have to reapply to the board to convert the building's lower level into a rental facility for parties seating up to 75 people. Tomino withdrew his request to operate the party room after board members indicated his business plan for the lower level was "underdeveloped."

Architect Jeff Martinson outlined Tomino's plans to turn the upper level into a store that would serve the needs of the surrounding community, selling basic grocery items, made-to-order sandwiches and other to-go foods, beer, tobacco, and other sundries.

Plans for the store space include indoor seating for about 15 people, the addition of small decks in both the front and the rear of the building, and reconfiguring the rear parking lot along Spruce Street to accomodate a total of 22 vehicles instead of the current 20 spaces.

Deliveries would be received in the back of the building, Martinson said.

Plans for the main level of the former Weston Club include
seating for 15 people.
Click on any image for a full size view.

Tomino said the front and rear decks will each include seating for a few people, which he envisions neighborhood patrons can use to enjoy food and beverages purchased in his new establishment in nice weather.

Tomino promised the zoning hearing board that while he does intend to sell six-packs of beer for take-out, no one will be allowed to consume alcohol on the premises, even if and when the board gives approval for the lower level of the building to be rented out for parties, weddings, and events.

Board members expressed unease at granting the request to use the lower level for a party hall, saying Tomino lacked a solid vision for the space and they had concerns about parking, despite Tomino's willingness to attach another 30 or so parking spaces that he owns, located about a block away, to the project.

"I think this needs to be presented in a more concrete plan," said the board's chairman, Michael Civitella.

No parking variance is necessary for the neighborhood convenience store use, noted board solicitor Robert Nitchkey, and both Tomino and Martinson said they expect the majority of customers will be pedestrians from the surrounding neighborhood.

The store will employ a staff of about four people, and if the plan for the party hall is later granted, the store's kitchen facilities will be able to provide catering for the downstairs space as well, Tomino said. No variances are necessary for the kitchen itself, as the  facility already exists, having been part of the former Weston Club.

The part of the application for a variance to use the
basement level of the former Weston Club as a rental
party hall was withdrawn, but
may be submitted again at a later date,  once renovations
to the main level are completed, property owner
Peter Tomino said.

About six neighbors of the former club attended the hearing, and two expressed concern about the plans.

Both said they felt the new use would generate too much noise, create parking problems, and attract unsavory elements to the neighborhood.

"We're trying to create walkable neighborhoods (in Easton)," Martinson said. "This is part of trying to provide something in the neighborhood as a gathering place...instead of Wawa, to buy a cup of coffee in the morning. We should be integrating things like this back into our neighborhoods."

Tomino said he plans to be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

He added he hopes to open the new business in about six months, after construction work to convert the property is complete. He will reapply for the variance to use the lower level as a rental hall at some future date, but he said he wasn't sure when that would be.

"Probably not until after I get the store open," he said.

Also Monday night, the zoning hearing board approved a variance for a 29 square foot sign for Two Rivers Brewing Company along South Sixth Street, a special exception to allow the establishment of a tobacco and smoke shop at 700D Philadelphia Road in the city's South Side neighborhood, and a special exception an lot area variance to convert a mixed-use building at 134 South Second St. back to a single family dwelling with the provision that a small kitchenette area on the second floor be removed to prevent the building from possibly being easily converted into a multi-residence rental dwelling in the future.

Proprietors Carolyn Krouse of Easton and Travis McNally of Phillipsburg, NJ, said they expect to be able to open the South Side Smoke Shop in about four months, after interior construction is complete and a certificate of occupancy and other necessary permitting for the shop is obtained from the city.

Gov. Wolf Building Gets Zoning Approval, Other Projects Postponed

By Christina Georgiou

The Governor Wolf Building on North Second Street is one step closer to
being renovated into more than 50 apartments after the project gained
the city zoning hearing board's approval Monday evening.

Plans to renovate the Governor Wolf Building on North Second Street into more than 50 one- and two-bedroom apartments were approved by Easton's Zoning Hearing Board Monday night, though five other scheduled hearings for various other projects were postponed until February due to the properties not being posted with the hearing date.

A tech glitch, compounded by a communication failure in the zoning office, resulted in the city not mailing hearing notices to property owners surrounding all six of the properties on Monday night's agenda, and consequently, the properties weren't posted notices of Monday evening's hearing date as well, said Zoning Administrator Cindy Cawley.

The lack of notice left the applicants facing the prospect of any approvals by the zoning hearing board might make Monday being appealed, noted board solicitor Robert Nitchkey.

Five of the proposed projects, which included an application to convert a row of garages on South Tenth Street into a delicatessen and small grocery store, will either be heard at a special zoning hearing board meeting to be held on Monday, February 3 or at the regular meeting on Monday, February 17.

Representatives for the Governor Wolf building, however, chose to go forward with their hearing, saying the agreement of sale to buy the property from Northampton County for $1.92 million is contingent on city zoning approval.

William Vogt, a principal partner of VM Management, which is purchasing the former Easton High School campus, said he'd talked with neighboring property owners and feels their concerns have been satisfied, making the chance of a substantial appeal unlikely.

The Penny Arch will be restored, VM Management partners
have promised.

Architect Lucienne Di Biase Dooley of Artefact, directing the project, echoed statements made by VM partner Mark Mulligan last week, telling zoning hearing board members the building's exterior will not be altered, and that plans include the application for historic preservation tax credits. She added that the group intends to restore the Penny Arch, currently in serious disrepair, and also the former school's bell tower.

Other features of the Governor Wolf building, including an interior spiral staircase and ornamental doors, will also be preserved, she added.

Neighboring property owner Charles Klabunde said he supports the preservation of the building, though he had some questions about the project.

"I think it's a good use," he told zoning board members. "It's not my first choice...(but) I appreaciate the consideration these people are giving this old building."

He added that he was concerned that construction vehicles might cause congestion on the street and inconvenience current residents during the renovation work.

Klabunde also suggested that the clock tower's bell be operated manually after its restoration, saying that the building's residents might not appreciate it ringing every hour through the night. He added the bell could be rung for special occasions, such as on Independence Day.

"It's really worth saving," Klabunde said. "It's the only really big bell we have left, and we ought to maintain it."

Dooley said that construction vehicles will mostly access the building from the rear through the parking lot on Larry Holmes Drive and that traffic along North Second Street won't be affected by the project.

"Historic renovation is what we specialize in," said Vogt. "We're sensitive to the neighborhood. We've done projects like this before. We're looking forward to bringing this building back."

Zoning hearing board members, along with city staff, said they support the project, and noted the variances it requires--including relief from a requirement that the first floor be used for commercial space--largely stem from the nature of the historic building's situation.

"I really think this is a good reuse of an existing building," Cawley said. "They're providing all the parking that's required, and I recommend it."

"Regarding the retail space, they're right. It's too far back," said board chairman Michael Civitella.

Vogt said the board's approval is the last step in ensuring the project will go ahead, and that he expects the agreement of sale with Northampton County to be executed and the property officially transferred to VM Management ownership soon.

It has been previously estimated the project will be complete and the apartments occupied by new residents by the end of 2015.

'We're making a big investment here," Vogt said. "We want everything to work for everyone in the city."

Planning Commission Says 'Yes' to Deli in Rehabbed Garage Space

By Christina Georgiou

Above, garage spaces at 321 South 10th Street in Easton's West Ward are
on track to become a new delicatessen and small grocery, shown in
this conceptual drawing.

The garage at 321 South 10th Street in Easton's West Ward as it appears
today.

A run-down row of garages along South 10th Street in Easton's West Ward got city planning commissioners' approval Wednesday evening to be rehabbed and transformed into a delicatessen with seating for up to eight people and a small section of groceries.

Khalid Chohan, who said he purchased the property last year, told the board he plans to completely renovate the structure, and showed sketches of how the eatery will likely appear when complete, which he estimated will take about a year.

Chohan, who was accompanied by his attorney Thomas Elliot, also told commissioners he will replace the broken sidewalk in front of the building, noting, "You can't even walk down the sidewalk respectfully."

The business requires a variance because it lies in a mostly residential neighborhood, and also for parking, but planning commission members agreed the neighborhood will benefit from the shop and that most customers patronizing the business would be on foot from the surrounding blocks.

"I think what you've offered--we're glad to have it," said Planning Commissioner Ron Shipman. "It will be a big improvement."

Approval from the Easton Zoning Hearing Board is also necessary for the plan to go forward, and the potential new business' plan is on the agenda for this coming Monday's meeting.

If approved, Chohan said he hopes to have his new deli and grocery open in about a year.

Updated at 1:16 p.m.

Plan to Redraw Property Lines Approved by Easton Zoning Hearing Board

By Christina Georgiou

The Easton Redevelopment Authority has been
renovating a number of houses along the alley
in the 600 block of Pine Street, on the edge of the city's
West Ward neighborhood. They are then being sold
to new low- and middle-income owners who occupy them.

The lines of four small land parcels along the 600 block of Pine Street on the edge of Easton's West Ward can be redrawn to facilitate redevelopment of the residential properties and allow for off-street parking, the city's zoning hearing board agreed at its meeting Monday evening.

The Easton Redevelopment Authority (ERA) owns a number of properties on the south side of the block, including the four that were the subject of the applications for variances last evening, having acquired them with the intent of rahabilitating some of the existing residential structures and razing and rebuilding others. Many of the homes on the block were vacant and/or had been declared blighted by the city in the past few years.

While many other buildings in the immediate area are historic, none of the houses affected by the Redevelopment Authority's plan are significant and were built in the 1920s and 1930s, said attorney Daniel Cohen, who represented the ERA.

Existing residential houses at 676 and 678 Pine St. are set to be remodelled, he said. A garage and house at 680 Pine St. has been demolished and will become the site for parking for adjacent residences, he said.

682 and 684 Pine St., right, will be razed and new
residences will be built on the sites. 680 Pine St. seen
 left in this photo taken in late spring of this year, has already
been demolished, said Easton Redevelopment Authority
representatives. The city's zoning hearing board approved
a variance to redraw the property lines to allow for
off-street parking for each of the new houses that
will be built on the sites.

Two houses, at 682 and 684 Pine St., will be razed and new dwellings will be built in their place, said Michael Brett, community development coordinator for the ERA. Both buildings were in too poor a  condition to make remodelling them feasible, he added.

Both of the properties will be widened by several feet, and the new houses set to be built there will also be a bit larger than the existing structures, according to site plans presented to the zoning hearing board.

Brett, also a member of the city's zoning hearing board, recused himself from voting on the variance applications, representing the ERA in the applications instead.

The residential lots along the Pine Street alley are extremely narrow and deep, which makes providing off-street parking without being granted variances relieving them of side-yard setbacks impossible, Cohen said. Additionally, variances to allow parking in front of two of the residences are necessary, as Easton code ordinances call for parking to be on the side or behind dwellings.

Brett and Cohen also noted that Pine Street, which is only 14 feet wide and allows for two-way traffic, does not have on-street parking. If the renovated residences were to be denied variances allowing off-street parking, the nearest legal on-street parking would be a block away, on the already busy and overcrowded South Seventh Street.

Other residences along the 600 block of Pine Street, seen in
this photo taken in April of this year, have already been
renovated. 676 Pine St., right, which is now nearly complete,
was granted a variance for a lot line adjustment and
to add a driveway alongside the building.

Some other properties along the block have already been rehabbed by ERA and are now owner-occupied. Others are in progress, Brett said, noting that the exterior of 686 Pine St. has been completed, and he expects work to begin on the interior in another month or two.

Money used to buy the properties and for their subsequent reconstruction is recouped by their later sale, ERA Director Gretchen Longenbach has said previously. The homes are aimed at low- to middle-income buyers, and a requirement of their sale is that they be owner-occupied, not purchased as investment properties, she added.

"What we're doing here is salvaging houses so people can live in them and raise their kids in them," Cohen said of the project. "We think it's going to be very good."

Easton's Zoning Hearing Board gave the okay to allow a
total of three ground-floor apartments at 118-120 Northampton
Street Monday evening. The residences will be in the rear of
the buildings, and two commercial spaces will still
occupy the buildings' fronts, said representatives for
developer Post Road Management.

Also Monday evening, the board agreed to allow two additional first-floor residential apartments at 118-120 Northampton St., for a total of three residential units planned in the soon-to-be-redeveloped buildings at ground level.

The first ground-floor apartment was approved by the board in July.

Two commercial spaces will still occupy the front of the building, Cohen, representing developer Post Road Management, said, though they will obviously be smaller than original plans for the buildings indicated.

The two additional apartments will range in size between 800 and 900 square feet and be in the rear of the building, he added.

The variance is needed because city zoning ordinances call for non-residential uses of first floor spaces in the Downtown commercial district.

The buildings' accompanying parking lot, across the street at 129 Northampton St., is sufficiently large enough to accommodate the additional two apartments, Cohen testified.

Upgrading and beautifying the back view of the long-disused
buildings is part of the plan for the two long vacant buildings,
property developer Post Road Management said at its original
public presentation in December of last year.

Adding the two extra residential spaces became necessary when some anticipated grant funding failed to materialize. The extra units make the rehabilitation project in the long vacant and dilapidated buildings financially feasible, Cohen said.

The project is being facilitated through the city's redevelopment authority, which currently owns the properties. Grant funding has been secured to remove hazardous materials, such as asbestos and lead from the two buildings at 118-120 Northampton St., which will ultimately become one parcel, Longenbach, who was not present Monday evening, has said previously.

That abatement work is scheduled to begin in coming months, and when complete, the extensive rehabilitation needed to renovate the long-vacant structures will begin, project architect Jeff Martinson said earlier this year during a presentation of Post Road Management's plans for the property.

Antique Armory Building Set to Get Needed Restoration

By Christina Georgiou

The old National Guard armory building at the corner of Seventh and
Northampton streets in Easton's West Ward will be getting the attention
it needs soon, new owners Odil and Peter Koorie said Monday evening.

 The armory building at the corner of Seventh and Northampton streets in Easton's West Ward has largely been used as a warehouse and for storage for the past few decades, and that use was officially approved again by the city's zoning hearing board again Monday night, but it won't stay that way for very much longer.

The iconic castle-like structure at 687 Northampton St. is in need of much repair work, said new owners Peter and Odil Koorie, and the couple plans to sink about $150,000--three times as much as they paid for the property late last year--into the site for its rehabilitation.

"It's in need of a total renovation," Peter Koorie told zoning hearing board members, adding that plans to repair the windows, a leaking roof, and fixing its doors, along with removing rust stains on the building's facade and flag pole are part of immediate plans for the property.

"We want to go in...and really bring the beauty back to it," he said. "We just really want to make that corner beautiful again."

Odil and Peter Koorie, left, along with their lawyer
Daniel Cohen, talk about their plans to renovate the
old armory building at the corner of Seventh and Northampton
streets in Easton's West Ward at Monday evening's zoning
hearing board meeting.

It's just a beautiful building, and we want to bring it back to life," said Odil Koorie. "Everything is going to stay the same on the outside."

But to do that, the city requires that an official use for the property be attached to the application. For now, the Koories plan to store cases of beer for their business Beer Brothers down the street, along with some personal items in the space. The use is temporary, they said, estimating that renovation work and finding the right permanent purpose for the building will take about two years.

Some ideas that have been floated for the property in the past include a farmers' market, a culinary school, or an arts center, but deciding on what will both be right for the neighborhood and also be financially feasible for the new owners will take time, said Mayor Sal Panto, who attended Monday evening's zoning meeting to speak in favor of the project.

"This property is one of the most blighted in the city," he told zoning hearing board members, adding that the Koories have been meeting with city officials to discuss plans for the property since purchasing it in November of 2012. "He can't fix it up without proper permitting, and that requires a use."

Panto said while basic repairs to the property are undertaken, the city will be working with the Koories, as it does with many developers, to possibly conduct a feasibility study for what will ultimately work at that location, along with finding likely grant opportunities to help physically  develop those ideas.

"(The Koories) wanted me to be here to make sure your realize (their use request) is not a ploy," the mayor said.

The old National Guard armory building at Seventh and Northampton streets
in Easton's West Ward, seen here in a century-old postcard image, is set
to get much-needed repairs and be restored to its former glory
after the city's zoning hearing board approved a temporary
use as a warehouse and storage facility Monday evening.

While using the space for storage is a non-conforming use for the neighborhood and requires a variance, any use at the location would also require special zoning hearing board approval, said lawyer Daniel Cohen, representing the Koories.

"This is a seriously non-conforming structure with a seriously non-conforming use," he said, adding a promise that he and the Koories will again appear before the board when the final use for the huge space is decided upon.

Cohen added that the couple is heavily invested in the neighborhood, living just a few blocks away on South 10th Street, along with other close family members that own other nearby properties.

Peter Koorie's brother, Sharbel Koorie, is in the process of renovating the former Northampton Glass building into a Lebanese restaurant, Daddy's Place, which is expected to be complete and open sometime this fall, he noted.

Only one member of the public commented on the proposal.

Warren Butler, who lives about two blocks away, said he wasn't initially sure about the Koories' intentions, but now supports the project.

"After hearing the mayor, it sounds like a really good deal because it's a bad place," he said. "It sounds like a good idea, and I wish you the best of luck."

The zoning hearing board voted unanimously in favor of the variance.

"We'll see you again in a couple of years," said board vice-chair Michael Civitella.

Updated at 5:30 p.m. to add a current photo of the armory building.

Noted Jazz Couple Plans Recording Studio for Former College Hill Church

By Christina Georgiou

Grammy-winning jazz drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, with his
wife Laura Kahle and twin daughters Isis and Jelena, plan to
become College Hill residents this fall. The couple will
occupy the rectory of the former St. Peter's Lutheran Church,
and use the church itself as a practice and recording studio.

A former College Hill church that has been a video and television studio for the past six years is set to become the practice and recording studio of noted jazz musicians Jeff "Tain" Watts and Laura Kahle this fall after Easton's zoning hearing board unanimously approved a variance for the use.

The city's planning commission similarly unanimously approved the plan last month.

The couple plan to live in the church rectory with their twin 2 1/2-year-old daughters, Isis and Jelena.

The 19,048-square-foot church, which has a sound-proofed studio in the basement, will primarily be used for daily personal practicing and small ensemble rehearsals a few times a week, Watts told zoning hearing board members. His 16-piece New York City-based big band may also rehearse in the space a couple of times per year.

"Some performances may be in the sanctuary, which isn't soundproofed, but the walls are three feet thick," Watts said. "The structure is appealing because of the high ceiling. That makes it ideal for acoustics."

Rudy Vegliante, of Green Leaf Productions, the property's current owner, said there have been no noise complaints during the years his company used the space for filming and theatrical performances, which included the coming and going of production companies and live performances with an audience. The church can comfortably hold 225 people, but Watts' proposed use will not include inviting the public, he said.

Both he and Watts noted that the musical use will undoubtedly be quieter than the activities of the former St. Peters Lutheran Church at the 225 Porter St. location.

"It's private as far as I'm concerned," Watts said of his future musical space.

A seven-time Grammy winner, the drummer said he's particularly sensitive about being heard when he's practicing.

"I'm self-conscious about disturbing people," he told the zoning hearing board. "you're working on stuff you don't do so well. And, it's repetitive...I don't dig putting that on other people."

He's looking forward to the move to Easton from Brooklyn, he said.

"It's going to be a luxury or me to have access to a studio anytime I want," he said. "The priority is to have everything in one place, in a cool neighborhood for my family."

The new use as a music recording studio is very similar in use to the current use for video production, both Watts and Vegliante said, and neighbors are unlikely to even notice the change.

The former St. Peter's Lutheran Church at 225 Porter St.,
currently the video production studio of Green Leaf
Productions, is set to become the practice and recording
studio of noted jazz drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts.
Real estate listing photo

"I'm 53 years old," Watts said. "There are not going to be any slam dance parties. It's mostly going to be jazz and classical."

The property is fairly perfect as it is, too, he said.

"It won't need much," he said, adding that he will be bringing his own instruments and adding some recording equipment, but otherwise, he has no plans to alter anything.

Watts and Kahle, who plays the pocket trumpet and has recording credits to her name as well, will move to Easton in late September or early October, they estimated.

"We're looking forward to it," Kahle said.

Edinger Sworn in As Easton Councilman

By Christina Georgiou

Jim Edinger was sworn in as an Easton councilman representing the city's West Ward Wednesday evening.

He was appointed by the council on July 24 to replace Mike Fleck, who resigned after moving to Allentown to concentrate on his political consulting business.

Edinger, a Democrat, will serve as an appointed member of the city council until the end of the year.

Until his appointment, he served on the city's zoning hearing board for the past 19 years and is running against Republican Kim Yedloskey for the elected council position in the November election.

Easton Zoning Board Denies Variances for Teen Crisis Home

By Christina Georgiou


A Google view of the area where Resouces for Human
Development would like to locate an adolescent crisis
short-stay residential facility.

A teen mental health crisis facility run by Resources for Human Development (RHD) was denied the two variances needed for it to operate in the 200 block of North 13th Street Monday evening by Easton's Zoning Hearing Board.

While the board offered no explanation for the denial of a variance for placement in the city of a mental health care facility and for parking requirements, about 20 neighboring residents of the mansion property, which lies between between Spring Garden and Bushkill streets were in the audience for Monday evening's meeting, with five speaking against placing the facility in that location.

Robert Fehnel, whose Bushkill Street home abuts 241 North 13th St., said that he feels putting it in that location isn't a good fit with the neighborhood.

"We certainly do feel our children do need such a facility, but we feel there are some inconsistencies," he said. "How do you think this will affect...our property values?...It's an institution. It's not a day care center."


Residents opposed to the mental health care facility are
sworn in at the Easton Zoning Hearing Board meeting
Monday evening.



Esther Guzman, director of the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership (WWNP), also spoke against allowing the crisis home to operate at that location.

"We're concerned the neighbors didn't get a chance to meet with the agency to see what they do," she said. "(The WWNP) has purchased some property around the corner, and we're concerned on how we'll market them with a rehab center around the corner."

Neighbor Susan Kummer alleged that caregiving employees of other RHD facilities "smoke, take drugs, and drink" while working, and said, "We don't need this around our children."

She cited an Express-Times print article from this past Sunday that detailed recent neighbor complaints at a group home that houses two autistic adults in Lower Nazareth Township and at a Williams Township facility from four years ago.


A number of residents opposed to locating a teen mental
health crisis short-term care home in their neighborhood
brought their children to the meeting.

Additionally, the article stated that RHD has been cited nine times in four years at other Northampton County facilities it runs. There are nine such facilities, which provide a wide array of human services, in the county. Four of the citations were aimed at one of RHD's facility's in Lower Nazareth, the most serious of which was a staff member failing to call 911 when a client was found unresponsive, but the other violations seem minor, such as a client missing a prostate health screening and another mistakenly paying for a meal that was supposed to be included in the cost of services. All the cited probems have been corrected by the organization, according to state records, the article noted.

Kummer's next door neighbor, Linda Diadello, said she agreed with Fehnel, that a mental health crisis facility is needed, but "not there."

"I just think it's a family neighborhood, and I just think is should stay that way," she said.

Eileen Fehnel said she has a brother who was institutionalized due to mental health issues.

"I understand the pain. But it doesn't have to be in our neighborhood. My house is right there. We'll hear everything," she said, in tears. "I'm almost begging you to reconsider. We've been here our whole life, and this is our home."


Jim Fouts, program director for Resources for Human
Development crisis residence, left, and representative
attorney Blake Marles, right, testify about the company's
intentions at the Easton Zoning Hearing Board
meeting Monday evening.

 Representatives for RHD testified the facility would be for short-term stays of no more than 10 days, for teens 14 to 17, that have entered into mental health care voluntarily.

"This is not a group home. This is a home for kids that are not abjudicated," said Jim Fouts, program director for RHD crisis residence. "They're not coming out of the court system. It's very voluntary. Substance abuse can't be the main issue.

"These are not violent, dangerous kids," Fouts added. "They'd affect the others. They'd affect the entire program. We want this place to work. We want this place to work well."

Fouts said the goal of the program is to help teens avoid hospitalization. Clients are referred by schools and other mental health professionals. RHD helps such patients gain coping skills, learn relaxation techniques, and gain negotiation skills, as they assess them to determine what futher treatment is appropriate before they move on to an outpatient program.

"The goal is to get them in and out of there as quickly as possible," Fouts said, adding that the the crisis home would be staffed by five to six mental health professionals during the day, and two to three at night at the eight-bed co-ed temporary residence.

The 7726-square-foot mansion, formerly occupied by cardiologist Thomas Little, has been vacant for about a year and a half. The RHD plan would keep the exterior of the building the same, and the interior would need little renovation. Additionally, their occupancy would save the property from becoming apartments, though the two real estate agents involved in the sale contract testified the space isn't readily renovatable or convertible.

Additionally, Little's son read a letter to the board from the doctor noting that the Easton Area School District has no official policy on referring suicidal students to a local mental health program, though the Wilson Area School District does have guidelines.
Since RHD also consults with various public agencies, "their mental health policies may prove invaluable to our schools," Little wrote.

The layout and comfortable, home-like aesthetics of the turn-of-the-century mansion are part of the reason RHD chose the property, Fouts said.

A real estate listing photo of 241 North 13th Street, in
Easton's West Ward. The property has been vacant and on
the market for the past year and a half.

"We're not going to be changing anything outside," he said. "If you don't feel safe, you're not going to talk about your problems and try to solve them."

RHD representatives testified that the property already has sufficient parking for its needs, noting that the teen clients would not be allowed to drive while in residence, so only the staff would need vehicle parking.

But with a denial of the zoning variance, the point became moot.

Representing RHD, lawyer Blake Marles, said RHD would be willing promise the city  to restrict current and future use to adoescent treatment, as outlined.

"We certainly understand the neighbors concerns," Marles said. "(It's common that) when social services come up, people are in favor of it, but just not in their neighborhoods."

He said the rejection of the idea by local residents might be due to misunderstanding.

"This is a different type of facility," he said. "We're not talking about a group home."

After the board's decision, Marles said it is uncertain whether RHD will appeal the city ruling.

"It's really hard to place this kind of facility," he said. "There's always an objection. There's always a neighborhood. We had a facility on 20 acres, and people objected."

"Daddy's Place" to Bring Ethnic Brick Oven Goodies to West Ward

By Christina Georgiou

"Daddy's Place" is likely to open in the former Northampton Glass building before year's end, after the plan was approved by the Easton Zoning Hearing Board last evening and the city's planning commission earlier this month.

The new restaurant, located at 650 Northampton St., which will also offer a convenience store with six-pack carry out service, plans to install a brick oven, which owner Sharbel Koorie says will be the heart of the operation.

Sandwiches and wraps, both hot and cold, will be at the heart of the new eatery's menu, but Daddy's Place will also feature Lebanese specialties, he said, including meat, spinach and thyme pies. Bread for sandwiches will also likely be baked on the premises in the oven too.

"The heart of the business will be around that oven," Koorie told planning commission members on Sept. 5. "We're hoping to do a nice breakfast menu too."

While Koorie faced tough questioning from Planning Commission member Dennis Lieb at that meeting, largely focused on the business' plans for a liquor license and it's carry and take out service, Zoning Hearing Board members asked fewer questions about the new businesss after a lengthy presentation where Koorie answered questions posed by Downtown Easton lawyer Ted Davis, who represents Koorie.

Lieb contended the West Ward's quality of life would be negatively impacted by the addition of another business that serves alcohol and worried the convenience store would attract "undesirables."

He also questioned if Koorie, who is related by marriage to the owners of the nearby "Beer Brothers" distributorship, would be sourcing his beers from that business, a question that was deemed somewhat inappropriate by city legal counsel.

Lieb was the only Easton Planning Commission member to vote "no" on Sept. 5

The plan to convert the building includes fixing a leaking roof and water run-off problems with the due to the slope on the south side of the structure. The building is built into the steep hill and currently floods during rainstorms, Koorie testified. A retaining wall is also planned to mitigate the issue.

The business was also granted relief from some parking and landscaping requirements from both regulatory boards.

Koorie, a life-long West Ward resident, testified that he expects a large number of customers will be  pedestrians from the surrounding residential neighborhood and doesn't expect parking to be an issue with the current 13 parking spots the property already has. Relief was requested for an additional 12 spots that would normally be required for a restaurant in that district.

Adequate street parking is largely available on Northampton Street on that block, unlike many surrounding ones where it is at a premium, those present at both hearings agreed.

The landscaping requirement variance request was made for security reasons, Koorie said, as the back of the property is somewhat secluded and attracts "undesirables" which can't be seen by law enforcement due to the foliage. Not replacing the trees will hopefully eliminate the problem.

"We've already had three trailer loads of trash hauled away (from back there," Koorie said Monday evening, adding that he wants to keep the area clean and free from trouble.

One neighboring resident expressed concerns at Monday's zoning hearing board meeting that the lights from the new business, combined with the removal of the tree buffer would disturb residents.

Eric Wenzelberger also worried the establishment might "turn bad" despite Koorie's stated intentions, he told the board.

But zoning board vice-chair Michael Civitella said he felt the use of the run-down structure is a good fit.

"This thing was an eyesore, and now it's going to be something nice," Civitella said. "It's in character with the neighborhood."

The other two present members of the zoning board, chairman James Edinger and member Michael Brett, agreed. The other two members, Lynne Starke and Pamela Panto, were absent Monday evening.

Wenzelberger said after the meeting he was satisfied after hearing Koorie's full plan that the new restaurant and take-out establishment, which will seat 30 indoors and have another 22 seats outdoors in season, will be a good addition for the neighborhood.

Koorie's wife and son will run the restaurant, and he will continue to work his day job with the city's codes enforcement department, he said.

Daddy's Place will be open seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.  Monday through Saturday, with some hours to be determined on Sundays, Koorie said.

"But Sunday will be a shorter day," he said.

The work on the property is to be done by West Ward contractor Nick Alfero, also present at both hearings, and is expected to commence in the near future.