Easton City Council Committee Meeting – March 10, 2026

Mayor calls the committee meeting of city council to order and outlines the agenda:

• Public comment to open the meeting
• Parking discussion (first topic)
• Outdoor dining/Easton Alfresco (second topic)
• Disposition of Canal Street land (third topic)

Trevor and John present an overview of the Easton Outdoor Dining program (Easton Alfresco). The program was created as business support following the COVID-19 pandemic to allow restaurants to maximize outdoor seating capacity. The program has continued past COVID as it has been popular among residents and restaurant owners.

Current Participants (2025):

• Third and Ferry Fish Market
• Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti House
• Vault
• Sette Luna
• One additional location

Program Parameters:

• Season: First weekend in May through last weekend in October
• Up to two parking spaces may be used per restaurant
• No smoking policy enforced
• Final seating at 9:00 PM, wrapped up and music off by 10:00 PM
• Businesses provide liability insurance
• Applications reviewed by engineering, finance, codes, and economic development

Fees:

• $3,000 for food only
• $4,000 with alcohol service
• $1,000 discount for businesses with no metered spaces (no one took advantage of this in 2025)

Proposed Changes for 2026:

• COVID-19 references removed from program purpose
• Refund policy added: $25 per weekday lost, $50 per weekend day lost if program area becomes temporarily unavailable
• Dates updated to 2026

Councilwoman Crystal Rose raises concerns about enforcement of the outdoor dining program based on her experience living downtown:

• Food and drink left out overnight attracting rats and insects
• Areas not being cleaned or hosed off properly
• Noise complaints – people being served well after 10:00 PM
• Smoking in outdoor dining areas despite prohibition
• Cigarette butts in residential planters
• Difficulty getting police response to complaints
• Parking challenges during street cleaning when outdoor dining takes up multiple spots
• Safety concerns with high barricades blocking visibility for pedestrians crossing streets

Trevor confirms that the city did respond to complaints and put Colonial Pizza on notice about violations. He notes that enforcement is challenging as issues occur after business hours when city offices are closed.

Council and administration discuss strengthening enforcement mechanisms:

• Luis Campos proposes a “three-strike rule” or warning system with clear consequences
• First offense: warning and opportunity to remedy
• Second offense: removal from program with prorated refund
• Trevor to update guidelines with stronger enforcement language
• Suggestion that restaurant owners document clean-up with video/photos each night
• Music volume concerns – some restaurants in neighborhoods playing music too loud
• Councilman Graziano suggests removing outdoor music entirely to simplify enforcement

Council agrees on next steps for the Easton Alfresco program:

• Guidelines will be pulled from tomorrow’s agenda for revisions
• Administration will incorporate enforcement language including warning system and removal process
• Requirement that businesses maintain clean areas (potentially with photo/video documentation)
• Revised guidelines to come back to council for approval
• Sign-up period proposed for next two weeks through end of month
• Program will start first weekend in May 2026

Councilwoman Rose requests discussion on pausing city-owned parking garage agreements with private developers until the comprehensive plan is completed. Luis Campos provides detailed parking overview:

Third Street Garage Status:

• Approximately 280 spaces will be committed in evening once Confluence residents move in
• No additional multi-space agreements will be offered at Third Street Garage
• This is an internal decision already in effect

Fourth Street Garage Status:

• Currently averaging 54-55% utilization
• Industry standard is 115% commitment (accounting for vacancy factor)
• Plan to move first 100 daytime parkers from Third Street back to Fourth Street
• This will increase Fourth Street average to approximately 65%
• One pending agreement (70 North Fourth Street) could push utilization to 70-80%

Current Available Spaces: 442 spaces available across both garages (as shown on live dashboard)

Luis Campos explains the parking ecosystem and challenges:

Peak Demand Issues:

• State Theatre events
• Large festivals (Bacon Fest, etc.)
• Special events (pub crawls bringing 700+ people)

On-Street Permit System:

• Blue Zone: 292 permits for 330 spaces
• Gold Pass: 40 permits (can park in both zones)
• Total permits nearly equal available spaces (332 permits for 330 spaces)
• When everyone is home simultaneously, capacity issues arise

User Behavior Challenges:

• Visitors prefer to park on-street first rather than in garages
• People arrive before 5:00 PM to Fourth Street Garage to avoid fees
• On State Theatre nights, people fill neighborhood streets before using garages

Solutions Being Implemented:

• Designated spots for monthly parkers in Fourth Street Garage
• St. John’s lot and Social Security lot providing additional 125 spaces
• Working on additional 100 spaces with other lot owners
• Part-time staff being added to manage garage gates on peak nights
• Better signage to direct visitors to county lot and other surface lots

Discussion of on-street parking permit system and its impact:

• Blue Zone has 292 permit holders for 330 spaces
• Gold Pass holders (40 permits) can park in both zones
• Multi-family buildings with more than 7 units no longer eligible for on-street permits (grandfather clause expired)
• One Center Square building residents being transitioned to garage parking as permits turn over
• On-street permits have been decreasing as ordinance takes effect
• Residential parking in garages fluctuates – not all monthly parkers use spaces every night

Discussion of whether to pause parking garage agreements:

Councilwoman Rose’s Position:

• Requests pause on parking garage agreements with developers until comprehensive plan is complete
• Concerns about long-term (20+ year) commitments
• Need to understand future parking needs before committing public assets
• Garages are public assets paid for by taxpayers

Administration’s Response:

• Luis Campos states Third Street Garage already effectively capped
• Fourth Street Garage very close to capacity
• Natural attrition and ordinance changes will limit new agreements
• Won’t formally agree to pause as situation is dynamic
• One pending agreement (Seville Building cleanup)
• Turnover occurs naturally as residents move

Mayor Panto’s Position:

• Opposes requiring developers to provide on-site parking
• Concerns this would lead to demolition of historic buildings
• Points to PNC lot as example of building torn down for parking
• Prefers managing parking through existing garages and lots

City Solicitor Joel Scheer explains the legal framework for parking requirements:

• Zoning ordinance requires developers to show parking within 600 feet of development
• Parking doesn’t have to be city-owned – can be any lot within 600 feet
• Developers must present contract/agreement showing committed parking
• Solicitor reviews parking agreements as part of planning commission approval
• Many properties are grandfathered and don’t require parking under current use
• When use changes, zoning administrator determines parking requirement
• Most parking contracts with city are for one year terms
• Confluence agreement (200 spaces) was longer-term exception
• Council could modify 600-foot rule or require on-site parking through zoning changes

Enforcement Challenges:

• Difficult to verify compliance after initial approval
• Code department responsible for checking parking agreements during rental license renewal
• Private parking agreements must also be maintained to meet zoning requirements

Mayor Panto provides context on parking finances:

• Since 2008 with all the growth, city has added $867,000 to the budget
• City used to lose $250,000/year on parking garage (when there was only one)
• Cannot afford to lose money on assets that should be revenue-generating
• Fourth Street Garage has $430,000 annual debt service
• Need to maximize utilization – 50% vacancy rate is not financially sustainable
• Better signage needed to direct visitors to county lot and Social Security lot

Resident Concerns:

• Councilman Brown notes residents paying for garage permits sometimes cannot find spaces on State Theater nights
• Councilwoman Rose reports receiving 2 complaints per week about parking
• Administration reports receiving less than 5 complaints per year
• Challenge is balancing resident needs with visitor parking during peak events

Discussion of operational improvements:

• Part-time employees will be requested to staff garage gates on Saturdays and peak nights
• Staff will control entry/exit and direct people to alternative lots
• Currently hold approximately 30 spaces for monthly parkers on State Theater nights
• Workers typically present 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with Police Department assistance for exit
• DPW reports very few instances in past 12 months where monthly parker couldn’t access garage
• People arriving before 5:00 PM to avoid fees – staffing will address this

Resident Complaints:

• Councilwoman Rose reports residents messaging her every State Theater night unable to find parking
• Luis requests these complaints be emailed with details to track patterns
• Need documented complaints vs. anecdotal reports to address systematically

Luis Campos commits to providing updated parking analysis:

• Will prepare report forecasting Fourth Street Garage utilization in next 2 months
• Analysis will account for Confluence residents moving in (expected end of April/May)
• Will send to council via email in memo format before next meeting
• Report will detail movement of parkers from Third Street to Fourth Street Garage
• Will help council make informed decisions about future parking policy

Key Factors:

• Confluence will have 243 parking spaces committed
• Not all spaces used simultaneously due to vacancy factor
• Moving first 100 daytime parkers back to Fourth Street from Marquis lot
• Marquis lot provides daytime parking (Monday-Friday 8am-5pm) but not evening parking

Mayor Panto introduces discussion about disposing of city-owned lot on Canal Street:

Property Details:

• Location: Canal Street at Pastor Fred Davis Street, next to Hershey building
• Size: Approximately 2 acres
• Current use: Empty lot, steep slope/hill
• City maintains: Shovel sidewalks, cut grass on edges
• History: Former housing site (“Little Italy” neighborhood)
• Previous homes built into hillside with multiple levels

Interest from Shiloh Baptist Church:

• Shiloh owns adjacent building, Nehemiah House, and parking lot
• Expressed interest in acquiring city lot for potential affordable housing
• Development would be challenging due to steep slope

City Solicitor Joel Scheer outlines legal requirements and options:

Third Class City Code Requirements:

• Sale of real estate requires RFP process
• Highest bidder gets the property
• City plans to do appraisal to set reserve price

Alternative Approaches Discussed:

• Previous method used for Seville and Confluence properties: RFP with citizens committee making recommendations (noted as legally uncertain)
• Those properties were considered highly developable redevelopment land
• Transfer to Redevelopment Authority (RDA) – Authority has more discretion in setting criteria
• RDA method would allow affordable housing deed restriction more clearly

Proposed Deed Restriction:

• Whoever purchases can only develop affordable or workforce housing
• No high-end or luxury development
• Solicitor expresses concerns but says “take my chances” – not 100% certain restriction would withstand legal challenge if city sells directly

Council provides direction to administration:

Agreed Approach:

• Resolution will authorize administration to pursue disposition of Canal Street property
• Administration will explore both direct sale and RDA transfer options
• Deed restriction for affordable/workforce housing only to be included
• Administration will return to council with recommendation and ordinance
• Council must approve final sale regardless of method
• 30-day appeal period after council approval before sale finalized

Mayor’s Recommendation:

• Suggests transferring to Redevelopment Authority for $1
• Let RDA handle disposition with affordable housing restriction
• This provides more legal flexibility than direct city sale

Development Challenges:

• Steep slope may make property difficult to develop
• Slope ordinance requirements may apply
• Historical precedent: previous houses built into hillside with multiple levels
• Property may be undevelopable under current zoning

Mayor Panto confirms agenda complete and opens for public comment. No public comment offered. Meeting adjourned.

Items to be on Council Agenda:

• Easton Alfresco guidelines (to be pulled and revised per discussion)
• Canal Street property disposition resolution