Its May 1. Eastons major construction projects have green light to restart. Whos ready? – lehighvalleylive.com

At the beginning of the year, they were healthy signs of Eastons hopeful future.

Investments of millions of dollars were being made to bring new workers and residents to the citys Downtown and make use of spaces whose glory was tied to a long-ago era.

Some efforts were nearly complete, others just getting underway and others still simply inspiration on a drawing board.

But combined, they certified a pulsing momentum of a business district on the move.

And then, of course, it all stopped. Nonessential, they were called as COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, came to define everything and anything.

But Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf set May 1 as the day construction could resume. Even while the disease remains a significant threat, builders on Friday can go back to building. With, of course, reasonable restrictions.

A drive around town on a rainy late Thursday morning showed a city lacking life, projects without people, streets without traffic.

But the clock was ticking. And, for once, not in a bad way.

Townley House could be serving hotel customers by July, its owner saysTony Rhodin | For lehighvalleylive.com

Restauranteur Mick Gjevukaj was well along with his boutique hotel project last time we talked in December. He envisioned a spring opening for the $2 million conversion of the abandoned Townley Building at 130 N. Third St. into Townley House, which he hopes will serve as a resting and reviving spot for out-of-town customers of his three Downtown restaurants -- Oak Steakhouse, River Grille and Ocean.

Reached Thursday night by text, Gjevukaj exuded his eternal effervescence.

Resuming, full speed ahead, May 1st, he wrote. Looks like a July opening, assuming restrictions dont interfere. Stop by next week to check it out.

Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. was patient on Thursday as a reporter went project by project and asked, What about this one?

And the mayor, who has defined his more recent terms in office by how the city is achieving a remarkable recovery, had only good news to offer.

Crews were working on site of the Heritage Riverview project for Hearst in Downtown Easton Friday May 1, 2020. By order of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, construction projects could resume on May 1 in Easton and other locations across the state. Developers behind the Heritage Riverview project for Hearst received waivers to do some work early, but as of May 1, they no longer needed special permission to work.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

What about the Hearst building -- formally know as Heritage Riverview, which had just gotten its second story facing the 100 block of South Third Street when it fell silent in mid March?

Roofer Jeff Dutt is ready to put a hat on the old bowling alley that was once a Packard dealer back in Eastons surging successes so many years back, Panto said. There was a flooded basement to deal with in recent days and a state waiver allowed for some safety measures and weatherizing to be put into place during the down time, Panto said.

And after the final concrete work finishes where floors will go, and walls and windows are added to the currently most open of open concepts, it could be turned over to the New York City publisher, which is bringing 175 jobs Downtown, to complete the interior space. Hearst had hoped to open mid-summer, but a new date is not yet set.

But that remaining 8,000-plus square feet of space in the 42,000-square-floor business space? Hearst is considering taking that as well making it a solely Hearst community, Panto said.

The Days Inn property in Easton may look like a parking lot longer than expected before it is developed.Tony Rhodin | For lehighvalleylive.com

That would change a couple of things in the Downtown construction landscape, Panto said. Hearst had already taken the remaining space in the parking garage behind city hall on South Third Street and with more employees in the extra space, there will be a need for parking, the mayor said.

Peron Development in recent days put down the $1.1 million to buy the city parking lot which once held the Boyd and Seville theaters on North Third and work should begin by June on the mixed use development there that will bring dozens of apartments and street level retail space, Panto said.

But that puts the city in a bit of a squeeze, because the planned North Fourth Street parking garage is just at the beginning of the approval process, and the historic commission hasnt met in two months because of COVID-19, Panto said. From the day the design gets city commissions okays, it will take 12 months to build the precast concrete pieces for the garage -- although just weeks to put them together once on scene, Panto said. Its similar to how city hall was built.

With construction about to begin on the old Boyd Theatre property on North Third Street in Easton, the site (seen here) of the new garage on North Fourth Street still awaits city approvals.Tony Rhodin | For lehighvalleylive.com

Parkers in the current North Third Street lot are about to get their 30-day notices, the mayor added. They, too, will need somewhere else to go. The Pine Street garage, which is well past its end date, cant come down until these other projects finish, officials have said.

So, where to put the cars? The huge mixed-use project called The Confluence that is planned for the old Days Inn property at South Third Street and Larry Holmes Drive will wait and the space will be used for whatever vehicular overflow results as other projects come online first, Panto said.

The city is working toward formally selling that property to Peron and wont get the $5.9 million it paid when the hotel still stood there, Panto said. But, eventually, the city will do very well collecting property taxes from the developer and income taxes from the residents and workers, Panto said. The city will be whole -- and more -- on this deal far quicker that it would have been with the previously planned aquarium project, which would have eventually paid off through city amusement taxes, Panto said.

It was a good investment, Panto said about buying and demolishing the hotel and then continuing with a community-based plan to choose a developer. While it wont immediately get back what it paid, the city will get more than the appraised value for the property, he said.

The Commodore, which is the old Kaplan's Awnings building on Northampton Street at Larry Holmes Drive in Easton, recently got its final piece of financing, the mayor says.Tony Rhodin | For lehighvalleylive.com

The Commodore, a mixed use project at the old Kaplans Awnings building at Northampton Street and Larry Holmes Drive, has sewed up the last of its financing -- a $3 million state loan, Panto said. The eight-story combination of new construction and rehabilitation is expected to draw many more people to the section of the city near the free bridge, and business people along that block have been looking forward to construction getting underway. Developer Garett Vasel couldnt immediately be reached Thursday afternoon for a timeline.

Developer Borko Milosev didnt have much time to celebrate the success of his North 13th Street condo project, which sold out in just a few days, before his other projects in the city ground to a halt. His efforts in the 500 and 1500 blocks of Northampton Street are set to resume, he said.

Developer Borko Milosev still has a lot of work to do in the 500 block of Northampton Street in Easton, but he's expecting to get back to work soon.Tony Rhodin | For lehighvalleylive.com

It is our plan to restart the projects as soon as we can, he said in a Wednesday text. ... I believe weve cleared" any regulatory barrier. All construction can resume based on guidelines.

And Lafayette College, which has a significant Downtown presence but is doing major construction at the moment on College Hill, got a state waiver and was able to continue dorm construction along McCartney Street ahead of the ban ending, Panto said. Workers on Thursday were adding bricks to the building closet to High Street.

Lafayette College got a state waiver to get back to work on the McCartney Street dorm project in Easton, the mayor says.Tony Rhodin | For lehighvalleylive.com

As for Garrett Benners planned high rise on Ferry Street, thats still in the approval process and Panto had no update.

But, overall, anyone in Downtown Easton over the next few weeks will see a neighborhood attempting to get back to work as Pennsylvania just begins to reopen for business.

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Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.

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Its May 1. Eastons major construction projects have green light to restart. Whos ready? - lehighvalleylive.com