EASTON, Md. - Concerns are being raised about a proposed apartment building in Easton.
Those concerns were voiced during a Planning Commission meeting, today.
One by one, 18 community members voiced their thoughts on a proposed apartment project at the corner of August St. and Park St. Of those 18, 15 were critical of the 52-foot tall building.
If approved and built, it would tower over Ian Williams' home. Williams says, "The biggest concern is that a structure of this size is going to negatively impact the neighborhood and the feel of the neighborhood. This structure is surrounded by single-family homes."
During today's meeting, Williams explained how he felt when looking at buildings renderings. "My home is that white block. It's directly adjacent to that large building. That's not just a white block. That's our family there."
One of the homes near the apartment building is Dudley Greer's.
He and other neighbors petitioned to defer this proposal. The petition received more than 100 signatures.
While most opposed the idea completely, Williams and Greer said they understood a smaller scale could be built.
"You know the guy who owns this property has every right to develop it the way he wants. But, it has to fit in the community," says Greer. He also added, "We want to save the integrity and feel of this neighborhood. We love living here. We're not going anywhere. We love living here, but we want a good neighbor to live here, as well."
The project was deferred today. But commissioners encouraged developers to come back without any request for waivers and scaled back the version of the project.
One of the developers is Casey Rauch. Rauch is the civil engineer for the project. He says he is ready to redesign his project.
"What I heard in there is that the project is wanted. What I also heard from the residents and the council members is that it's too big. So, we're going to come back with something that's not as big and something that still meets the same demand. We're still going to come back with a 12-unit product. But, it will be smaller," says Rauch.
Rauch also said he and his team will be back next month with a new project. He said, "when we come back next month, this project is going to have a new face on it. I think that the planning commission is going to understand that we heard the comments and are providing a better product for the town."
Compromise may be the cornerstone of this proposed project.