Conservation Districts...
A Conservation District is a set of zoning laws tailor-made by residents. These laws are applied to only a small group of houses or a small number of city blocks. They are used to protect the quality of life in communities threatened by poorly maintained properties or destructive development.
Conservation Districts have been successfully used in communities as diverse as Pittsburgh, Pottstown and Lancaster.
Where Conservation Districts have been applied, property values have risen.
We have been tasked by the Easton Planning Commission to reach out to the community and help create the laws you want to protect your neighborhood.
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Homes are being destroyed.
As properties fall into neglect, quality of life degrades.
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
In the West Ward the primary issue is property maintenance. Poorly maintained properties drag down the property values of the homes adjacent to them leading to the slow deterioration of a neighborhood. Conservation Districts would require landlords to maintain their properties.
Easton's supply of affordable housing is decreasing.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Communities thrive when affordable housing is readily available for all residents. Housing is needed for the young couple just starting out. It is needed for those seeking to downsize and growing families.
Demolition directly removes houses from the market. Most often these are lower priced homes, making starter homes and homes for those on a tight budget hard or impossible to find. If our laws do not require landlords to properly maintain their properties the affordable housing stock degrades, resulting in homes in such poor condition that few can afford to repair them.
If we want affordable housing for all Easton residents we need conservation districts to protect our current housing supply.
