Letter to Editor: Turning Easton’s Vision Into Reality

Easton stands at a pivotal moment in its history. Several decisions now before the town will shape the community for decades to come. With the Comprehensive Plan nearing approval, infill opportunities emerging in the East End, and the future redevelopment of the existing hospital site, Easton has a rare opportunity to guide how the town grows while preserving the character residents value.

Easton’s Comprehensive Plan outlines a compelling vision for walkable neighborhoods, compatible infill, and preservation of the town’s historic character. But a plan alone cannot produce those outcomes.

In Maryland, comprehensive plans are not enforceable law. They describe what a community hopes to achieve, but zoning determines what actually gets built. If zoning regulations are not updated to reflect the plan’s goals, communities often discover that their vision cannot be implemented.

That disconnect has occurred in many towns across the country. Thoughtful plans are adopted, but outdated zoning codes remain in place—codes often written decades earlier for very different development patterns.

Even if Easton’s Comprehensive Plan calls for traditional neighborhood design and walkable streets, development proposals will still be evaluated under the town’s current zoning code. That code was largely written for the past, not the future.

When planning goals and zoning rules are misaligned, communities often experience predictable problems:

• Comprehensive plans with strong design goals
• Zoning codes that still allow incompatible development
• Residents contesting projects one by one
• Staff and applicants navigating uncertainty and negotiation

In short, the plan describes the future, but the zoning determines whether that future actually happens. To align those two, Easton will need the right tools. One of the most effective is form-based zoning

Traditional zoning focuses primarily on land use, whether a building contains retail, offices, or housing. Form-based zoning instead focuses on the physical form of buildings and streets: how structures relate to sidewalks, how tall they are, and how they shape public space. This approach produces several practical benefits.

First, it reduces conflict. When expectations for building form and design are written clearly into the code, fewer projects require lengthy public disputes or ad-hoc negotiations.

Second, it allows more efficient approvals. Projects that meet the adopted standards can move through review more quickly and predictably.

Third, it aligns zoning with the Comprehensive Plan. Planning concepts—such as Easton’s proposed “Place Types”—can be translated into clear, enforceable development standards.

Importantly, form-based zoning is not anti-development. In many communities it actually encourages high-quality reinvestment by providing clearer rules and reducing uncertainty for both property owners and developers.

Keeping the current zoning system may seem like the safest option. In practice, outdated rules often create their own set of problems.

When zoning standards do not match a community’s goals, development becomes unpredictable. Projects that might fit the town’s character can become difficult to approve, while proposals that technically comply with the code may still feel out of place to residents.

The result is a familiar pattern seen in many communities: more hearings, more case-by-case negotiations, and more conflict between neighbors, developers, and town officials.

At the same time, vacant lots and aging properties often remain underused because the existing rules make reinvestment difficult. Land that already has streets, utilities, and public services ends up producing far less economic value than it could.

That lost value matters. Underperforming properties generate less tax revenue, even though the town must still maintain the infrastructure that serves them.

Maintaining outdated zoning doesn’t simply preserve what we have—it can quietly prevent reinvestment and leave valuable land underused.

Research examining form-based zoning has found measurable economic benefits in several communities. A national study by Smart Growth America and the Form-Based Codes Institute compared areas governed by form-based codes with similar areas using conventional zoning. Over a ten-year period, the form-based districts collectively generated approximately $65 million more in tax revenue. These findings suggest that predictable design standards can encourage reinvestment and improve the long-term economic performance of existing neighborhoods.

Adopting form-based zoning does not require a town-wide change all at once. A fiscally responsible approach would be to begin with targeted pilot areas where redevelopment is most likely.

Two locations appear particularly well suited for this approach: portions of the East End, where infill development is occurring within an established neighborhood context, and the former hospital property near the center of town. The 14-acre hospital site represents a rare opportunity to shape the form and character of a new district from the outset.

Large redevelopment sites often produce the greatest long-term value when guided by clear form-based standards. Because these projects are typically built in phases, the town has a unique opportunity to influence street layouts, building form, and public spaces before development occurs.

Form-based zoning helps ensure that redevelopment creates walkable blocks, active streets, and appropriately scaled buildings—patterns that historically generate stronger property values and greater tax productivity than conventional suburban-style development.

Easton’s Comprehensive Plan outlines a strong vision for the future of the town. But plans alone cannot ensure compatible development or protect neighborhood character. Only zoning can do that.

Form-based zoning offers a practical way to translate Easton’s planning goals into predictable development standards while encouraging reinvestment in areas where infrastructure already exists.

Including a commitment in the Comprehensive Plan to begin implementing form-based zoning, starting with targeted pilot areas, would help ensure that Easton’s vision is paired with the tools needed to achieve it. A simple policy commitment in the Comprehensive Plan could begin this process:

“The Town will begin implementation of zoning reform aligned with the Plan’s Place Types, including adoption of form-based zoning in targeted pilot areas, within two years of Comprehensive Plan adoption.”

At this pivotal moment, Easton has the opportunity not only to describe the future it wants, but to ensure it has the tools to build it.

Greg Zimmerman
Easton