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Thus far, all I've managed to do is stir up debate and controversy surrounding the current state of the city of Scranton and the current mayoral administration's involvement in it. Instead of continuing to argue and bicker, let's put our differences aside and use this thread to talk about some of our ideas to help "bring Scranton back." I'd also like to use this thread to talk about Wilkes-Barre's ongoing rebirth as well in hopes that residents of each city can "bounce" ideas off of one another to help their own city. Please only use this thread in a constructive manner---saying something like "burn it to the ground" is not feasible.
Scranton has been reeling from problems that have plagued most other Rust Belt cities for decades, including negative population growth, suburban sprawl, urban blight/decay, white-flight, and a poor job market. Most people have become so depressed by these circumstances that they've given up all hope on ever seeing our city bounce back. Thankfully, there are civic-minded organizations such as Scranton Tomorrow, Scranton Jaycees, and Rediscover Scranton which are all striving to improve our quality-of-life. There is a growing sense of a "can do" attitude in relation to wanting to see an urban revival in Scranton, and I hope to be a part of it in a couple of years by moving into the city myself to rehabilitate my own home.
WeLuvPA, Jak163, mm_mary_73, ConorsDad, I LOVE PA, WBAdvocate, KBlasi, and everyone else with a vested interest in Scranton (or Wilkes-Barre), please feel free to express your ideas at this time. Also, let's remain constructive with this thread and keep politics, personal lives, etc. OUT of the fray. The city is in dire need of people like us to come together to bounce our ideas off of each other in order to truly have an impact. Telling someone they "don't have a right to have ideas" because they don't live in the city is a sure-fire way to stave off any outside investors for sure. Scranton, with its negative population growth, can not afford to have an "isolationist" personality and needs to garner as much outside influence as possible. Are we forgetting that we just helped a local multimedia friend to purchase his dream home in the Hill Section? He and his wife "didn't live in the city" either at the time (and still won't for another two weeks). Nevertheless, his ideas should be just as credible as someone who has lived in West Side his/her entire life or even in, per se, Pittston. There are a lot of bright minds on this forum; where are the ideas?
I'll start first by standing my ground on my interest in seeing more "urban-style" living options coming to Scranton. By this, I'm referring to loft apartments, condominiums, artist co-ops, townhomes, etc. within walking distance to downtown. The Lofts @ The Mill on James Avenue in the Upper Nay Aug area have proven themselves to be tremendously popular for young professionals and graduate students, but it's not within walking distance to Center City, which is a drawback for future downtown residents like myself who want to live "in the middle of it all" and to trade in a car for a pair of shoes.
There are several projects on the horizon that fit this bill, but all will be priced to target only the upper-middle-class and upper-crust of the city. For example, I believe the units in St. Peter's Square will be selling for roughly $335,000. The proposed condos in the Connell Building, the units at the upcoming Jefferson Pointe tower, and the new residential space in the 500-block of Lackawanna Avenue will likewise be catering to an "upscale" clientele. At this point, I'm fearing that the city's downtown housing market will become oversaturated with high-end housing and not have enough options for those in the working-class who may likewise want to live downtown, including singles and couples just starting out, college students, and retirees who aren't the "well-to-do empty-nesters" that these new complexes are targeting. Contrary to what others think, I know for certain that there is an unmet demand for housing in close proximity to Downtown Scranton, as there will always be a certain segment of the population in NEPA that tires of living in the suburbs (such as yours truly and a few of my "twenty-something" friends, for example).
Nevertheless, even as a self-employed CPA with a Ph.D. in Economics without children or any other dependents at age 28, the odds of me being able to afford a unit in a place like St. Peter's Square are very slim. As a rule of thumb, you wouldn't want to spend more than a third of your net income on housing, so if I were to be earning $60,000 or so by around that time, I'd most certainly set my budget limit at an absolute maximum of $200,000. I don't see any proposed Center City units in the $150,000-$200,000 range, even though this would target households with incomes ranging generally from $50,000-$70,000, which comprise a sizeable portion of the local population. Similarly, we can't forget those who are "just getting their ears wet" (such as me in my current stage in life), and who would also appreciate some downtown studio, efficiency, and one-bedroom rental units in an affordable price range (perhaps $500/month or less, including most, if not all, utilities).
One can't minimize the benefits that having new downtown residents would have upon the businesses nearby. I alone would patronize the downtown Rite-Aid, Coney Island, Northern Lights, Brixx, Mall at Steamtown, Marquee Cinema, Scranton Cultural Center, and Lavish on a regular basis, among others. Multiply my spending power by about 1,000 to account for other new nearby residents in the Center City neighborhood, and you'll see existing businesses that were once "struggling" beginning to round the corner to prosperity again. You'll also see some long-vacant storefronts beginning to fill up with services and niche retail outlets to start catering to the additional foot traffic generated by the new housing units, including a downtown market (which would be a tremendous asset), book store, an ice cream parlor, shoe stores, barber shops, sidewalk cafes, etc. There once was a time when people from Dunmore, Moosic, and other nearby areas rode trolleys into the heart of Downtown Scranton for a fun-filled day of shopping, dining, and playing. From the 1970s-2000 or so, this was largely replaced by the suburban shopping malls. Give people a reason to come downtown again, and they'll come---in droves. I'm tired of eating at McDonald's and shopping at Target here in suburbia, and I'd head weekly into Center City in a heartbeat if there were more retail options available. I already patronize Poochie and Outrageous on a semi-regular basis, and I'd welcome many more with arms wide open. The key to getting them to open up is to attract more foot traffic to downtown streets, hence the necessity of more downtown housing options.
First I disagree with all the upcoming housing projects because there curremtly is no reason to live downtown and there currently is no reason that anyone should spend that kind of $$$$$ on a condo in the downtown of Scranton. There is nothing in the city that is open past 6pm and thats a huge problem. Then we have the car less crowd well where do they grocery shop? The key to living in a downtown anywhere is the accessiblity to anthing you want when you want it and well we do not have that and I'm sorry I do not see downtown being anything but a place to go and get drunk. I agree that there are people that want to live in a urban area but Scranton's downtown is not what I would call "URBAN" and I do not think that there are enough people to support this vision.
You want to revive the downtown well lets start by not throwing out one of the longest running restaurants/pizza shops in the downtown. The 500 Block of Lackawanna Ave is a scam and I think the project should be stopped and is probably going to not happen because of the lawsuit. There are already other groups looking at refurbishing the buildings and letting Buona stay since this controversey started.
We need to stop spending, spending and start investing in our future with a correct and focused budget and plans.
We needed to fight the shoppes@Montage.
"Thankfully, there are civic-minded organizations such as Scranton Tomorrow, Scranton Jaycees, and Rediscover Scranton which are all striving to improve our quality-of-life."
These groups are not the answer to saving the downtown, they are if anything hugely responsible for the outrageous spending in the city and have nothing to show for their efforts. They are all packed with political operatives that are spending the city into a downward spiral.
Paul you want me to give you ideas on saving Scranton but yet you do not want me to inculde any political motives well the problem with Scranton and its downfall currently is the Mayor and his cabinet and the rampant spending.
You want to save Scranton then eliminate the KOZ and stop spending sooo much $$$$ on stuff like a $1.2 million dollar bridge to no where.
I really do not have a problem with fixing up Nay Aug keywords being "Fix Up", but to build a bridge across the Roaring Brook to access less than 10 acres of land for $1.2 million is just absolutely outrageous when that $$$$ could have and should have gone somewhere else that it would have been worth while spending it. Like maybe Downtown. That land is no longer useful and has not been since I-81 was put in.
You want to revive Scranton then you need a total change of government to get it done right.
First I disagree with all the upcoming housing projects because there curremtly is no reason to live downtown and there currently is no reason that anyone should spend that kind of $$$$$ on a condo in the downtown of Scranton. There is nothing in the city that is open past 6pm and thats a huge problem. Then we have the car less crowd well where do they grocery shop? The key to living in a downtown anywhere is the accessiblity to anthing you want when you want it and well we do not have that and I'm sorry I do not see downtown being anything but a place to go and get drunk. I agree that there are people that want to live in a urban area but Scranton's downtown is not what I would call "URBAN" and I do not think that there are enough people to support this vision.
It's sad that you see your own downtown as "just a place to get drunk" when so many others can see it as being so much more. It's the second-largest concentrated center of employment in NEPA behind Downtown Wilkes-Barre, which means thousands of people are in the downtown from 9-5 with money to spend before work, after work, and on their lunch hours. Scranton is the cultural hub of Lackawanna County; it has the Scranton Cultural Center, Everhart Museum, Steamtown National Historic Site, Albright Library, University of Scranton, Lackawanna College, and the Electric City Trolley Museum, as well as some art galleries, including the AFA Gallery, and various festivals such as La Festa Italiana, Scranton Jazz Festival, and Electric City Film Festival. All of these attractions serve to attract people to town in the "off-hours" after work and on weekends, and all of these people are potential shoppers and diners. Scranton is, then, a place to work and a place to play, so why can't it also be a place to live? I'll once again direct you to the urban housing study done by the Diamond City Partnership in Wilkes-Barre, which highlighted trends that are likewise applicable to Scranton. LINK: http://www.wbdcp.com/pdf/05%20Residential.pdf I found this to be a fascinating read, as I also once thought "nobody would want to live in Downtown Wilkes-Barre." Judging by the interest in the recent projects at the Hotel Sterling and the Murray Complex, there is a market in Luzerne County for people who want to live in a downtown setting. I'd guess that Lackawanna County has a similar demand. I agree with you though when you allude to the units being too pricey. There will be a select few who WOULD be willing to pay $300,000+ to live in Center City, but their numbers are very limited. They could perhaps occupy a dozen or so units, but all of the other similarly-priced projects downtown would create a "market glut" of too many higher-end downtown properties with nobody willing or able to occupy them. However, there is demand downtown for housing, in general, assuming that more income classes are included. The city's median household income is probably somewhere in the realm of $35,000. That would put their budget for a home in the low-$100k range. Show me listings for that range in the city's urban core---I don't see any. Now, in order to afford a $335,000+ unit, one would have to be earning $100,000+. I don't even know of many families in my own upper-middle-class suburb who earn that much, much less in the city of Scranton proper. Downtown housing is a good idea; making it exclusively for the "rich" is a bad idea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by weluvpa
You want to revive the downtown well lets start by not throwing out one of the longest running restaurants/pizza shops in the downtown. The 500 Block of Lackawanna Ave is a scam and I think the project should be stopped and is probably going to not happen because of the lawsuit. There are already other groups looking at refurbishing the buildings and letting Buona stay since this controversey started. We need to stop spending, spending and start investing in our future with a correct and focused budget and plans.
I still don't see why a compromise can't be worked out here, as I support BOTH parties involved. I think the developer's plans will be an asset to the city's ongoing renaissance, but I also applaud Buona Pizza for being such a long-term asset to this city. Why can't Buona Pizza be temporarily relocated to another nearby site by the developer until renovations/demolitions on the block are completed, and then allow Buona Pizza to have its corner location back at a reasonable rent price? Comparing the artist's rendering of the new block to the existing one, it is obvious that the developer's plans will be beautiful. If it came down to having a developer willing and ready now to redevelop an entire city block as compared to turning him down and hoping for individual entrepreneurs to come out of the woodwork to invest in each of those properties individually, then I think we need to jump at this opportunity and work to help the developer and the Buona owners to reach a compromise. I think a family-owned pizzeria would be a wonderful tenant in this new project, and I can't fathom why both parties involved haven't thought of some way around this yet other than the developer saying "get the hell out" or Buona saying "NEVER! La Vie Boheme!" That proposed building on the corner will be multi-story with a turret. I'd pay a premium to live in an apartment ABOVE a newly-expanded Buona Pizzeria in that building to have the sweet saucy smells throughout my walls.
Quote:
Originally Posted by weluvpa
We needed to fight the shoppes@Montage.
Hindsight is 20/20, heyna? I was among the few who vocally-opposed this project right from the very beginning. Nevertheless, the rest of the "sheep" in this valley took the bait from this developer when he spoke of a "new and unique upscale shopping experience." If shopping in the same stores on Montage Mountain that Steamtown already has and battling gridlock to get to it is his idea of an "improvement", then God help us! I'll likewise post a link to the list of upcoming tenants, so you can see just how many are already in NEPA, as well as how many are nearby in Steamtown (which may collapse once its tenants flee en masse to Moosic, which would be DISASTROUS towards the downtown's revitalization efforts, which rely heavily on mall-spawned foot traffic). Once the Mall at Steamtown collapses and Montage Mountain's two-lane roads become horrifically backed-up, I can jump around saying to all of these suckers "I told ya so, I told ya so, I told ya so!" I took the liberty of researching existing tenants in other lifestyle centers from this developer, and I instantly put two-and-two together to think to myself "Gee...this will hurt Steamtown quite a bit" even BEFORE this official tenant site map was released to the public:
"Thankfully, there are civic-minded organizations such as Scranton Tomorrow, Scranton Jaycees, and Rediscover Scranton which are all striving to improve our quality-of-life."
These groups are not the answer to saving the downtown, they are if anything hugely responsible for the outrageous spending in the city and have nothing to show for their efforts. They are all packed with political operatives that are spending the city into a downward spiral.
It's sad that you think that people with an interest in improving the city's quality-of-life are "packed with political operatives" and are causing the city to cave into a "downward spiral." You told me in the past that the main players behind Rediscover Scranton were well-to-do Scranton Prep families who inherited family businesses. So what? I'd rather have some "hoighty-toighty" person with an interest in bringing the city back as opposed to nobody at all. I'm on the organization's mailing list, and while they've done nothing thus far besides host some alochol-laden mixers and gatherings (that I'm not old enough to attend) in order to pat themselves on the back, I'm hopeful to become more of a "hands-on" person if they should happen to get involved in civic-oriented efforts. Also, if it weren't for Scranton Tomorrow, then we wouldn't have the "Scranton: The Electric City" sign shining gloriously over downtown again at night. They've also been a major player behind the upcoming ArtSpace project, and they might be getting involved in the restoration of the Penn Paper clock tower (which is seen in the opening credits of "The Office"). The Scranton Jaycees bring thousands of smiles to faces each year via the Santa Parade, and they were also providential, if I'm not mistaken, in cleaning up Nay Aug Park and various city neighborhoods during the "City Pride" events. Getting people organized and bringing them together to get civic pride to bounce off of each other like Mexican jumping beans is a great way to lay the groundwork for a brighter future for our city.
Paul you want me to give you ideas on saving Scranton but yet you do not want me to inculde any political motives well the problem with Scranton and its downfall currently is the Mayor and his cabinet and the rampant spending.
You want to save Scranton then eliminate the KOZ and stop spending sooo much $$$$ on stuff like a $1.2 million dollar bridge to no where.
I really do not have a problem with fixing up Nay Aug keywords being "Fix Up", but to build a bridge across the Roaring Brook to access less than 10 acres of land for $1.2 million is just absolutely outrageous when that $$$$ could have and should have gone somewhere else that it would have been worth while spending it. Like maybe Downtown. That land is no longer useful and has not been since I-81 was put in.
Pork-barrel projects are not confined to Scranton. Wasteful governmental spending occurs in every city in our country. Just look at Pittston, where they spent MILLIONS on a flood-prone Riverfront Park with a foul stench, fiber-optic lighting on the Water Street Bridge, and a new StreetScape project that was abandoned less than halfway through. The end result of this spending? An even dirtier-looking downtown than ever before. Wilkes-Barre's proposed artificial lake in the middle of the Susquehanna River is another waste of taxpayer funds, as I don't know of anyone would would want to swim, water-ski, etc. in this "lake" BEFORE the river's contaminants, including fecal coliform and other hazardous bacteria, are cleaned up! BLECH! Instead of fiber-optic bridge lighting or a poo pond, Scranton has a tree house. Big deal. I'm sure you'll find wasteful spending in well-to-do areas like Clarks Summit as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by weluvpa
You want to revive Scranton then you need a total change of government to get it done right.
True. However, I'm looking for ideas besides putting every city elected official on a rocket and firing it into the center of the sun! LOL! I've only been alive a little over twenty years, and I'm sure there has been political corruption in this city ever since 1986 (and before that as well). Doherty isn't any more "corrupt" than his predecessors. I'm genuinely a nice, honest person who would love to buck the trend to "clean house" if I were elected to a city office in the future, but we can still make greatthings happen in our city, even with a bumbling bunch of bacon-busting Bumblefarts on the bench. Let's just ignore this Doherty, Evans, Fanucci, Gatelli, etc. talk and try to think of ways to rebuild our city without their involvement, can we?
I think this city is full of great people with great ideas who need to stop pointing fingers at elected officials for being so inept and start trying to take it upon themselves to make things happen. An example of this would be the woman WNEP interviewed last week during a home fire who took it upon herself to dig out nearby fire hydrants, which saved firefighters countless minutes when they arrived on the scene. If I were mayor, I'd pick this woman up and treat her to lunch at a city restaurant of her choice for her concern for her city and her neighbors. Meanwhile, I'm sure most other Scrantonians just sat around, went on Talkback Online, and said "This stupid city isn't shoveling out its fire hydrants. What if there's a fire?" instead of being pro-active, as this woman was, and preventing an unfortunate fire from being even worse. We need to all stop relying on our politicians, who have proven themselves to be INEPT, at best, to be the "cure-all" for all that ails us. Several decades of poor management may have lead Scranton to the point where it is today, but one decade of progressive movements on behalf of the city's residents themselves can help to erase two generations of neglect. "I Believe!" (I know this may be Wilkes-Barre's slogan, but it's applicable to Scranton as well).
I'll try to locate some "case studies" from other similarly-sized cities that point to the benefits of having a large residential population in their downtowns as well. Give me a few minutes to let my fingers do some walking around cyberspace! LOL!
Wow! I already just read an excellent article by the Brookings Institution Center on Urban Policy that shows that of the 24 cities they studied, all were showing significant rises in demand for downtown housing, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, two cities that, like Scranton, have been shedding population for decades. Here's a direct quote from the Brookings report:
"A steady influx of new downtown residents can provide significant and lasting benefits for a city's business center. Having residents in the business district eases rush-hour traffic jams by eliminating commutes or enabling reverse commutes. It creates a demand for a 24-hour city, with restaurants and stores open after 5 PM, contributing to an active night life. Downtown residents demand better services and a diverse mix of retail, which benefit anyone who works, lives, and visits downtown."
The link to this report can be found here:
http://www.brook.edu/es/urban/top21fin.pdf (broken link)
While all 24 of these cities are much larger than Scranton, the same trends can be applicable for a city of 70,000. People nationwide are tiring of living in bland suburbs and far-flung exurbs and commuting lengthy distances into their core business districts all the time for work, nightlife, and culture. As these trends continue, even Scranton will see its demand for in-town housing heat up.
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 03-07-2007 at 04:18 PM..
Reason: Annexation
Here's a segway into another interesting Brookings report into the effect that increasing residential space can have upon the overall vibrancy of a downtown:
"For decades after the American industrial revolution, the "downtown" of any city was the simple manifestation of a bounded social and commercial structure. Living downtown was efficient, functional, and desirable. Families, the elderly, young couples, rich and poor alike all lived in or near the center to be near where they worked and where the goods and services they needed for living were provided. But with the rise of suburbanization, America's downtowns have evolved into employment and entertainment centers, at best. This paper examines the opportunity that cities currently have to bring residents back to their downtowns and identifies ten steps that can be taken to create successful residential life in America's central business districts."
This report, in its entirety, can be read here: http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/moulton.pdf (broken link)
All in all, the web site of the Brookings Institution is what I consider to be "porn for urban planners." I may be an aspiring CPA, but my true passion, obviously, lies within architecture and urban revitalization. I read Brookings studies on a regular basis and try to find parallels between other cities' success stories and what can be done to enhance our own city.
To those who are not interested in reading this latest report I have posted, I'll point out just a few "highlights" for your perusal. Bear in mind that this study was released back in 1999, so while its figures may be outdated, the basic concepts remain the same.
BROOKINGS: "The number of U.S. households without children is expected to swell to 72% by 2010. People are postponing marriage and having children to later stages in life when they are more financially-secure. By 2010, only 20.1% of all U.S. households will be married couples with children. There are now also 76,000,000 "baby boomers" who will soon become "empty-nesters" who no longer have children at home."
MY SYNOPSIS: What does this mean? Well, the very targets for new downtown living options include households without children, a market segment that is continuing to grow in our nation. In fact, this number may even be skewed higher in our area, which has among the highest concentrations of elderly homeowners in the nation. The University of Scranton and upcoming Scranton Medical School will continue to attract graduate students to our city from NY, NJ, CT, and other points in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region. A growing number of empty-nesters in our area are beginning to look at their large suburban homes in the Abingtons as becoming too burdensome to maintain in the future, which provides Center City developers with an excellent opportunity to market new downtown units to this market segment as being "maintenance-free" and "within walking distance of all major conveniences." In my opinion, we'll see a point in time by 2015 or so in which owning a car and living in either Center City or the Hill Section will not be a necessity as enough niche retail and service businesses spring up to cater to the expanding foot traffic generated by the new downtown residents.
BROOKINGS: "To get the most from demographics and a strong economy, local public policy can exploit, concentrate, and guide economic and demographic trends that favor a move back into the city. Public policy cannot by itself create demand for housing anywhere, especially downtown. However, in conjunction with private business initiatives, local government can help accelerate potential into action by educating, providing incentives, and removing regulatory obstacles."
MY SYNOPSIS: While I'm certain that Mayor Doherty, city council, and the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce all support the idea of expanding the downtown's residential base (in theory), I haven't heard anything out of their mouths concerning this issue that is pivotal to the continued urban renewal occurring downtown. Perhaps the city could look to give some sort of "incentives" to lure people back into the city limits, such as tax breaks and/or KOZ designations. I know WeLuvPA is a HUGE critic of the KOZ program as a means to spark urban redevelopment, but I think that by offering 500 new downtown residential lofts, condos, etc. at tax-free status for a few years, the increase in the population living downtown will more than pay for itself in terms of the city wage tax revenues, increased nighttime foot traffic helping to deter crime, and new businesses opening up to "feed off" of this new consumer market, such as a downtown grocer, book store, etc.
I've been supportive of giving the KOZ designation to both the Tripps Park and Keyser Terrace subdivisions in West Side, as both have attracted several hundred new residents into the city limits, lured in by the promise of tax-free living. Contrary to popular belief, you won't see these neighborhoods becoming "ghost towns" by the time 2011 rolls around and these properties all start becoming taxable again. A lot of these new homeowners have children, and I couldn't fathom pulling up my ROOTS in 2011, after living in one of these neighborhoods for 5+ years, just to pay taxes to another municipality instead of paying them to Scranton. 95% of these homeowners will be staying put, and even if 5% of them relocate, the new buyers will still be subject to paying taxes, which means the city can only benefit from having these properties added back onto the tax rolls in 2011. I think a similar 5-year KOZ designation on a few new downtown housing projects geared towards the middle-class would attract several hundred new people into the downtown on a 24/7 basis, all of whom would patronize city businesses and help to boost the tax base once that 5-year period had abated. This is one of those situations where it WILL pay off to "forgo money to make money." The tax-free status will entice people to move to Scranton, even if they never before considered it, just for the financial benefits. After their tax-free status is up, they'll likely STAY and PAY TAXES to Scranton if they think the downtown is making a comeback (which I think will only be even MORE visible over the course of the next decade).
BROOKINGS: "Most downtowns in American cities have a stock of old buildings, once used for manufacturing, storage, or small offices, and now largely vacant. Old buildings are generally obsolete for today's offices. In the last 20 years, these buildings have been replaced by large Class A office towers, which can meet the functional demands of the financial, legal, and other business services that populate CBDs. The obsolescence of old Class C buildings forced vacancy up and market value down. These very buildings, however, have created the skeleton for affordable residential development in center cities. Of a smaller scale than Class A towers, groups of these buildings stand as a residential neighborhood in waiting. Some of these buildings have elaborate decorative construction, and their preserved historic character distinguishes downtown from suburban residential development.
MY SYNOPSIS: This is exactly what the developer(s) of "The Lofts @ The Mill" had in mind when they converted an old silk mill on James Avenue on the north side of Nay Aug Park into "chic" loft apartments geared towards young professionals and graduate students who wanted to live near downtown and the University of Scranton campus. Now at nearly 100% occupancy, this project is evidence of my hypothesis that people will be interested in living in residential units that have been converted from industrial/commercial usages. We also have the old Casey Laundry Building along Center Street, which now houses several loft apartments above Marquis Art & Frame, Outrageous, and the Center Street Coffeehouse. I'm a HUGE proponent of downtown historic revitalization, but I'm a realist as well. Many people wanted to preserve the old Hotel Casey at the corner of Lackawanna & Adams, which was a hulking mess that adorned the city skyline for many years. It would have been nice to save the building, at the time, but its condition was allowed to deteriorate so much that it was deemed to be most sensible to just tear down the building. The new Hilton Hotel & Conference Center now stands on part of this property, and the upcoming Jefferson Pointe apartment complex is also slated to begin construction this year on the remainder of the property. Nevertheless, there will always be a portion of our region that would rather live in a home with CHARACTER as opposed to the blandness of the South Abington cul-de-sacs. This is part of the reason behind the recent upswing occurring in many parts of the Hill Section, a historic neighborhood which has already garnered a large number of inquiries to me via PM on here, as well as through e-mail. I'm also pleased to report that the old Central New Jersey Freight Station will soon be restored and converted to a mixed-use project of restaurants and boutiques. The Blair House, the old, run-down white mansion on the corner of Jefferson & Mulberry is also being lovingly-restored into a boutique hotel by a gay couple from Manhattan with ties to Scranton. Progress on that project can be found here: http://www.thecolonnade401.com Contrary to popular belief, our city is making a gradual comeback.
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I'd also like to use this thread to talk about Wilkes-Barre's ongoing rebirth as well in hopes that residents of each city can "bounce" ideas off of one another to help their own city. Please only use this thread in a constructive manner---saying something like "burn it to the ground" is not feasible. 
Part One of Two
I took the liberty of researching existing tenants in other lifestyle centers from this developer, and I instantly put two-and-two together to think to myself "Gee...this will hurt Steamtown quite a bit" even BEFORE this official tenant site map was released to the public:
Part Two of Two
Instead of fiber-optic bridge lighting or a poo pond, Scranton has a tree house. Big deal. I'm sure you'll find wasteful spending in well-to-do areas like Clarks Summit as well. 
