EASTON, Pa. — Easton residents will have an opportunity to engage directly with the developers behind the hotly contested Wilson warehouse project this week.
Easton City Council’s Frank Pintabone and Crystal Rose have organized a public conversation with representatives from Scannell Properties, the developer that owns the property predominantly in Wilson, with some land located in Easton.
The session will start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at Easton Area Community Center, 901 Washington St.
The more-than-1-million-square-foot warehouse project, called Easton Commerce Park, is expected to be fairly automated, which developers say could mean less traffic than an older facility would see.Developers Scannell Properties
Visitors will be able to learn about the project from a variety of vantage points, touching upon environmental elements, traffic impact and other subjects separated into stations manned by experts.
The event also will feature a question-and-answer period with Scannell representatives.
Top concerns for the warehouse proposed near Wood and Hackett avenues appear to be related mainly to traffic impact on the West Ward and potential environmental issues.
The building will sit on the grounds of a former pigment factory.
The more-than-1-million-square-foot warehouse project, called Easton Commerce Park, is expected to be fairly automated, which developers say could mean less traffic than an older facility would see.
On average, about 900 vehicles would enter and exit the grounds daily, with about 250 semitrailers or trucks included.
'We wanted it to comfort them'
Easton residents have been particularly concerned about the potential for trucks to be rerouted through the city, jamming up traffic and damaging roads.
Pintabone and Rose said the Thursday meeting is meant to open up communications and establish transparency.
“We wanted transparency 100 percent. We wanted the residents to hear directly from the developers. We wanted them to hear exactly how this is going to happen.”Frank Pintabone
According to Pintabone, the city will keep an eye on traffic near the warehouse for the first year, paying special attention to any instance of increased tractor-trailer traffic in the West Ward.
If there is a noticeable change, Scannell will have to pay to rectify issues with a nearby intersection.
“We wanted transparency 100 percent," Pintabone said. "We wanted the residents to hear directly from the developers. We wanted them to hear exactly how this is going to happen.
"We wanted to hear about the toxicity and, you know, just everything about this project. We didn't want to carry the water. We don't want to middleman and lose information.
"We wanted it to comfort them. So their whole team is flying in from Indianapolis next Wednesday night to sit with our residents of the city of Easton, and have that open dialogue, which, in my opinion, has never been done.”
Pintabone and Rose said they feel confident the session will provide answers and relief to residents’ issues.
They cited their experience working with Scannell to improve some spots on the property, including biking and walking paths which will connect to established trails.
'Whether we like it or not'
Rose said she found it important to hold community gatherings such as these “outside of planning or zoning and city hall,” in an atmosphere that lets residents directly interact with the people behind the project.
“We've been meeting with the developer, along with Mayor Panto and city administration and our attorneys, to try to address the residents’ concerns in the city," she said.
"We have a lot of concerns about the traffic patterns surrounding the warehouse and the tractor trailers entering our neighborhoods.
“There's no doubt about it, the project is coming, whether we like it or not, because Wilson has approved it. I really wish they would have invited Palmer and Easton officials to the table. They weren't willing to do that, unfortunately.”Crystal Rose
"And the developers have been pretty open to our concerns and are looking to partner with us to help put some of those preventative measures in place.”
Outside the protocols of city meetings, citizens likely will have an easier time understanding the project, and being that there are no grounds to combat the warehouse, a Q&A will at least create some community connection — and perhaps an opportunity for Easton residents to benefit a bit as well, organizers said.
“I mean, there's no doubt about it, the project is coming, whether we like it or not, because Wilson has approved it," Rose said.
"I really wish they would have invited Palmer and Easton officials to the table. They weren't willing to do that, unfortunately.
"But we reached out and engaged the developers’ team. We're trying to get the most that we can out of the project.”
