Lafayette College is a step closer to building a 169-bed residence hall that will require moving one house and demolishing 15 additional properties on Easton’s College Hill.
The Easton Planning Commission on Wednesday spent hours reviewing the proposal, with debate among members and with college representatives over the timeline for construction.
The commission ended up granting preliminary approval for the project on McCartney Street, between March and Marquis streets and Clinton Terrace. Lafayette will have to come back before the commission for final approval; but the only basis to deny that would be failure to comply with the conditions of preliminary approval, city Solicitor Joel Scheer said.
In additional approvals related to the dorm project, commissioners OK’d extending through Sept. 17, 2023, permission for Lafayette to house up to 52 students on temporary dorms atop March Field on the College Hill Campus, and to create a new Portlock Black Cultural Center in the building to be relocated from 517 Clinton Terrace to 41 McCartney St.
The new four-story dorm represents Phase 2 of Lafayette’s residence hall expansion, following Phase 1 construction that is wrapping up this month to house 165 students on three floors atop first-floor retail space on McCartney Street north of March Street to High Street. Radnor Property Group is developing Phase 1, on land leased from Lafayette.
Pressed repeatedly, and pointedly by commission member Robert Sun, Lafayette declined to commit to a firm timeframe for Phase 2 construction. Roger Demareski, vice president for finance and administration, kept going back to the uncertainty facing the college — like most facets of American life — due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Even though Lafayette is going with remote learning for the upcoming fall semester, it has seen no significant drop in enrollment and plans to grow from 2,703 students this year by 50 annually to 2,900 by 2027, Demareski said.
“The commitment to Phase 2 is there in terms of our expansion,” he told the planning commission. “We will remain a four-year residential college, and as we grow we need to provide beds for our students.”
As for a date to start construction, the college is looking at a three-year timeframe, Demareski said: “But my best is that we will have those beds open for the fall of 2023.”
Commissioners debated at length tying the demolition plan to a construction timeline, even though the city has no power to require that. Planner Carl Manges noted Lafayette could pull demolition permits and begin demolition immediately.
Commission Chairman Charles Elliott suggested as a condition of approval asking Lafayette to propose a schedule for demolition. The fear is that demolition occurs and construction is then delayed, leaving vacant land at a gateway to College Hill and Lafayette’s campus.
“It’s the uncertainty of the times that I think that really warrants a little more circumspection about this expansion,” commission member Bill Carr argued.
Lafayette attorney George Kroculick joined Demareski in pushing back, and Elliott’s motion failed once before ultimately gaining approval by a vote of 4-3.
“We are planning to move forward,” Kroculick said. “It’s a question of when, and why would we do something so illogical as to tear down buildings, even if we have the right do do so, in the meantime? It doesn’t make any sense.
“But what you’re asking us today to do is tie our hands somewhat. With all due respect, I don’t think that is something you’re permitted to do under these circumstances.”
Demareski asked the commission to consider Lafayette’s track record in development as Easton’s largest taxpayer and employer.
“The assurance is McCartney is the gateway to the college and we are selling a product to students and it’s a competitive enrollment landscape and it’s not in our interest either to have vacant land with a fence around it and a large hole,” he said.
Elliott’s condition is non-binding.
“It’s just a signal that we want the college to not tear down the buildings without actually intending to put something in its place, without having an actual construction plan,” said commission member Jaime Kulick. “It’s just a signal, it’s not a requirement.”
Lafayette officials declined to comment following Wednesday’s meeting on the demolition timeline condition. “At this point, the college is reviewing the matter,” spokesman Mark Eyerly said.
The Michler House at 517 Clinton Terrace on Easton's College Hill is proposed to be moved across the street to 41 McCartney St. and become the new Portlock Black Cultural Center as part of Lafayette College's residence hall expansion.Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com
As for moving 517 Clinton Terrace, known as the Michler House after 19th century Lafayette alumnus and architect William Michler, that is a condition of a settlement the college reached to resolve a lawsuit that sought to block the construction of Phase 1.
Plans call to move it to a new foundation, add a wraparound porch and other renovations and make it the new Portlock Black Cultural Center. The center now is within the block slated for demolition, and its new home would be next to Hillel House dedicated to Jewish culture.
That said, college trustees have not signed off on committing to the ultimate plan for the new Portlock Black Cultural Center, Demareski acknowledged.
“It’s our intention to support our Black community and to construct a better, larger Black cultural center,” he said. “Yes there is uncertainty but that is certainly our intention. And we have committed as our legal settlement to moving 517 across the street.”
Lafayette needs to go before the city’s zoning hearing board, as well, for special exception approval on the Portlock center use in its new location.
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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
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