Plan for full-service hotel in Easton's Centre Square gets OK from zoning board
EASTON, Pa. – The Easton Zoning Hearing Board approved variance requests for a proposed hotel at 1-6 Centre Square on Monday night at Easton City Hall.
The proposal, offered by developer and restauranteur Mick Gjevukaj, founder and CEO of Enjoy with Gusto Restaurant & Hospitality Group, involves the building currently occupied and leased by The Standard bar and restaurant.
The seven-story building will feature 49 rooms, with 40 of them located on floors four through seven. The building will feature also two restaurants with bars and meeting space. As the project is seven stories, it is lower than the city's height limitations.
"We're working hard to make the building fit into the neighborhood," said Jeff Martinson, the project's architect.
"The project includes the restoration of the 1930s façades of the Jacob Mayer building," Martinson said. "The new materials and fenestration of the project will be compatible with the historic district."
Deliveries to the building will consist primarily of food, linens and dry goods. Martinson said they will be delivered by vans and box trucks, with no semi-trucks involved. The deliveries will occur roughly two to three times per week during mornings.
The hotel will feature no on-street parking. Martinson said there are roughly 517 parking spaces and 480 parking spaces within 700 feet and 600 feet of the hotel, respectively, in parking lots either in existence or proposed.
"It's not possible to construct parking on site," Martinson said.
Photo: The Martinson Group / Enjoy with Gusto
Guests will have check-in hours starting at 3 p.m, while check-out time will be 11 a.m. Martinson added that occupancy expectations for the hotel are between 20% and 30% during the week, with that increasing to between 60% and 75% percent on weekends.
One concern surrounding the proposal was where guests would park to check in and load their luggage.
"It's not logical to think that everyone is going to arrive at the same time," Martinson said. "Some people are going to show up at 3 (p.m.) — want to get here early. Some people will show up at 7, or 8, or 9 (p.m.)."
One resident at Monday's meeting says while the project may present some parking challenges, people will find a way to still come.
"What's more important?" said resident Matt Sprung. "The fact that we're inconvenienced a little bit, and you have a very lively downtown, or you have a place to park anywhere or any time you want?"
Other prognostications for the hotel's activities include about two to three business meetings monthly and three to four weddings during summer months.
Finally, restaurants in the facility will be open Thursday through Sunday, from 4 p.m. to closing.
Zoning board members brought up concerns about noise in the area, with suggestions to reduce bar hours.
Martinson said they could stipulate that there is no outdoor music or live music on the terrace of the property.
The architect also told the board about Gusto's other Easton properties, which include the Townley House Hotel and restaurants Ocean, Three Oak Steakhouse and River Grille.
While board members voted to pass the proposal, a time frame for the project was not announced Monday night.