Two experts in the fields of community and visionary planning offered their views recently about possible future uses of the 13.49-acre Easton hospital property on south Washington Street.
Chuck conventional comprehensive plan and zoning approaches to development, said Peter Katz. The Washington state native has long been among the original players in the New Urbanism movement. “I’m not in favor of zoning,” he said. “It separates things.”
Instead, he favors a more flexible approach to building communities that emphasizes walkability, attractive public buildings, lots of trees to encourage pedestrian activities–a blend of residential, commercial, public, and retail uses, all interconnected with streets and walkways and open spaces.
After driving around Easton prior to the presentation at the Avalon Theater, Katz complimented the town. “People know quality in Easton,” he said. He saw future development of the hospital property as a further completion of the community in a mixed-use approach.
He recommended that the town search out and hire a community planning firm that embraces what he called a form-based code rather than trying to stay within the confines of traditional comprehensive planning and zoning. “There are many good firms that do this sort of thing and who would engage the entire community in coming up with approaches to the entire property,” he said.
Katz minced no words: “Comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances create horrible communities.”
Rebecca Hoffberger, founder and long-time director of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, is known for big ideas and thinking outside the box. She quoted James Rouse, an Easton native and developer famous for creation of the Maryland city of Columbia, and known for his Harborplace projects in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. “Cities are meant to be gardens that grow beautiful people.”
Hoffberger referenced the medical history of the property: “Honor the healing past of that place,” she said. “Carry on the DNA of the hospital in this process. It should be a caring, smart community.”
She mentioned inclusion of a labyrinthian system of interconnecting walkways, flanked occasionally with healing quotations, to encourage physical and spiritual well-being.
Her biggest visionary idea involved lots of demolition of existing buildings, coupled with the reuse of the materials, which were reduced to an almost granular material. She suggested implosion as the preferred approach.
Implosion involves inward, rapid crushing, whereas explosion involves outward, violent expansion of debris, according to one definition gleaned from the internet.
Hoffberger noted Easton’s predominantly flat terrain. “I could see all of that imploded material kept on site, reused and shaped to create some gentle undulating topography.” That, she said, could add further character to whatever community evolves there.
Hoffberger said one of the world’s foremost implosion companies is based in Maryland.
“Whatever we do there, we should go out with a bang,” she said. “Me, I’m really into implosion.”
The University of Maryland Medical System owns the Easton hospital complex and property. It is expected to become available for sale sometime after 2028, upon completion of the new regional medical facility under construction just off of Route 50 west of Easton. Spy Publications and Avalon Foundation brought Hoffberger and Katz to Easton for the brainstorming session. A large crowd filled the Avalon for the presentation on Tuesday, March 31.
This video is approximately 90 minutes in length.
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