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A draft version of the East End Small Area Plan was presented Monday during a joint workshop of the Easton Town Council and Planning Commission. Town planners alongside consultants outlined recommendations on how the town should envision the future of the East End.

The East End area mainly consists of land west of U.S. Route 50 and east of Aurora Street, sandwiched south of Goldsborough Street and north of Idlewild Avenue. Namely, it includes Dover Road as it stretches to intersect with Route 50. The area is home to more than 2,000 residents, the town has said.

Seth Harry, principal architect of Frederick-based Seth Harry & Associates, and Dave Ager, principal of Clarksville-based Townscape Design, are two lead consultants. Harry emphasized that while renderings may tout ambitious, down-the-road possibilities, the plan also recommends “small, incremental improvements.�

Ager said making the East End more akin to the downtown core could help calm pedestrian and traffic safety issues in the Dover Road corridor. He said the report focuses, in part, on “moving the downtown east.�

“Incrementally, our recommendation is to start to look at what works downtown and start to move into the east along the Dover Road corridor to make it feel like it’s part of the downtown as well,� Ager said.

In the , consultants recommend the town tighten up on zoning regulations, in hopes of attracting affordable- and market-rate housing projects to the East End, with the overarching goal of balancing residential and commercial redevelopment.

Town leaders and consultants discussed the strip of businesses where Dover Road and Dover Street intersect on Monday. A rendering in the East End report proposes moving the business strip parking lot behind a redone commercial complex. The report encourages the town to seek new businesses for the area around what’s known as the Dover Triangle.

“Realistically, how much of that type of business can a town of our size absorb?� asked Ward 1 Councilmember Maureen Curry. She added: “We want them to be successful.�

“The whole idea here is incremental infill,� Ager said. “You don’t have to do all of what we’re showing.�

Ager and Harry told council and commission members that their chief recommendation is redevelopment of the Dover Triangle and surrounding buildings, citing the nearby intersection with the Rails to Trails.

Planning Commission member Tom Klein asked how the town can drive developers to invest in businesses in the East End. Harry said it’s going to be “market-driven� and can be done on a small basis.

“The town is gonna have to pony up,� Curry said. “We’re gonna have to come up with some incentives if we’re going to attract developers.�

Ward 2 Councilmember Robert Rankin raised the question of traffic, acknowledging that Dover Road heading toward the highway can experience significant backups. Harry said the best way to combat that congestion is funneling drivers to other thoroughfares that run parallel to Dover Road.

If passed, the East End Small Area Plan — which has been in the works for more than a year and included a five-day interactive workshop with residents last year — could direct the commission and council on not just the new zoning and housing policies they implement but also the residential and commercial projects they vote on.

As the plan was drafted, town planners and consultants considered the former Talbot County Health Department property on South Hanson Street and the potential of repurposing the building or adding open space or a park. However, no one idea is endorsed above the others in the report.

The small area proposal comes as Easton is working through a major revamp of its comprehensive plan. On Tuesday evening, the town hosted a public hearing on the comprehensive plan.

Planning and Zoning Director Miguel Salinas said Monday that the East End Small Area Plan will go to the Planning Commission for a public hearing and review, and later the Town Council for another public hearing and a vote on adoption. Town Planner Lynn Thomas said that process may come simultaneously with the pending approval of the comprehensive plan, or shortly thereafter.