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The application, which came from Lane Engineering and 350 N Washington Street Investments, was presented at Thursday’s commission meeting. Developers sought approval for a plan that outlines a 27,000-square-foot complex consisting of four two-bedroom units and 12 one-bedroom units.

While still needing approval from the Easton Town Council, Thursday’s thumbs up was a step forward for transforming the lot into multifamily housing. The lot is wedged in between commercial buildings on Aurora Street and homes on Washington Street.

Attorney Brendan Mullaney spoke on behalf of developers at Thursday’s meeting.

“We believe that this is a use that is appropriate at the scale that it’s proposed for this property, that doesn’t create any undue impacts to traffic, congestion, or the health and safety of residents on the property, or property owners in the area,� Mullaney said to the commission.

Mullaney said early estimates on rent rates for the apartments would be as follows: between $1,400 and $1,600 for the one-bedroom units, and between $1,800 and $2,000 for the two-bedroom units.

“(That’s) pretty consistent with what’s been called attainable or workforce housing for other projects in the town,� Mullaney said.

Since the proposal comes in the town’s commercial business zoning district, developers went to the Board of Zoning Appeals prior to the Planning Commission’s meeting. That board unanimously gave special exception approval to the project after a lengthy review.

Designs have 27 total parking spaces, with 16 off-street and in the apartment lot and 11 on-street. One parking space was removed from initial site plans in order to avoid limiting sight lines on Washington Street. A 12-by-45-foot loading area was also added to the site plan.

Commission Member Thomas Klein appreciated developers for slightly changing those designs after hearing community feedback.

“I applaud the development team for listening to the public,� Klein said. “You guys have made several adjustments to your original plan based on the letters and the comments that you received.�

All three commission members present approved the application with the condition that developers work with town staff to adjust the originally proposed roofline elevations.

SAFETY CONCERNSMike Lenhart, president of Lenhart Traffic Consulting, told commission members that a traffic study revealed negligent impacts to the surrounding area if the complex is built. The study showed almost no increases in traffic delay at the intersection during the peak morning and evening hours, he said..

However, many nearby residents expressed reservations about the development due to the safety of the Aurora and Washington intersection.

Kevan Full, a member of Talbot Thrive, asked the commission to consider the area’s difficult sight lines and lack of accessible sidewalk crossings, among other concerns.

“Before any construction gets started, let’s get the intersection, roadways, sidewalks, crossings and bike lanes addressed,� Full said. “Don’t work backwards by installing an apartment complex first, as that leads to workaround solutions.�

Sheila Lawson, who lives on Washington Street, said she’s not against the apartment complex, but provided her worries about the intersection’s safety.

“I won’t even drive that intersection, I’ve almost been t-boned twice there,� Lawson said. “I’ve seen five accidents in the three and a half years that I’ve been here. I’m just asking you guys to really think about that. It is a chance to improve it, and improve it in conjunction with what’s going on with the development there.�

Town Engineer Rick Van Emburgh said the town is in the process of a “complete street study,� along with taking a closer look at sidewalks and potential bike lanes to improve safety on North Washington Street.

As the town embarks on a traffic signal improvement project, the intersection will be one of the spots for a traffic consultant to analyze in the future, he added.