500-Block of Lackawanna Avenue Restoration Project Running Full Steam Ahead (Scranton: for sale, rent)

[SteelCityRising]

I know the Times-Tribune had a horrible pro-mayor/anti-Buona Pizza slant in this morning's issue (even going so far as to call their business "nondescript" while patting the mayor on the back for future projects downtown), but I must say that I'm VERY excited for the future of the 500-block of Lackawanna Avenue in Downtown Scranton. Here are some of the details of the project, which may be ready for occupancy as early as late-summer:

¦ Bogart boutiques. A pedestrian walkway will replace the alley, which is to be flanked by the retaining wall for the park and railroad at the rear of the block. Ground-level spaces will house several shops.

¦ Public Park. A little-known and inaccessible green area on top of the retaining wall will be restored into a park with pathways, benches and public performance areas.

¦ Public areas. The empty lot in the middle of the block will include an elevator to a bridge over Bogart Place to the park.

¦ High-end condos. The project will include about 13 condominiums starting at 1,300 square feet. Rear-facing units will have balconies; Mr. Rinaldi said they haven’t been priced yet.

Apparently Mr. Rinaldi, the developer, already has tenants lined up for his project, and according to him none are chains. I'm guessing one will be another coffee house, Electric City Roasting, as well as the existing AFA Gallery, Coney Island Texas Weiners, and Buona Pizza. Other boutiques and restaurants are planned, along with more public green space.

I don't see how anyone could find fault in this project. It will restore the last heavily-blighted downtown block and give tourists a more promising picture of the vitality of the Electric City. How is that a bad thing?

[NYRangers 2008]

I agree Paul. That section of Lackawanna Ave. looks so run down now. The buildings are so old and falling apart, they need to be replaced. As long as Buona and Coney Island stay on their own terms, since they are long time city establishments, I have no problem with this.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by NYRangers 2008

I agree Paul. That section of Lackawanna Ave. looks so run down now. The buildings are so old and falling apart, they need to be replaced. As long as Buona and Coney Island stay on their own terms, since they are long time city establishments, I have no problem with this.

What I never understood about this whole project is WHY Mr. Rinaldi, Mr. Piccolino, and Mr. Moran couldn't sit at a table with a pizza and a few drinks and talk about a mutually beneficial arrangement for all three parties involved. If I were in Mr. Rinaldi's position, I'd realize that it would be great to be able to rehabilitate the block AND be able to have two existing businesses already commited to being a part of the city's impending renaissance included in my project.

In any event the Buona Pizza building is downright nasty looking and needs to be hit with a wrecking ball, and the Coney Island building should be restored to its former grandeur. Why couldn't Mr. Rinaldi try to facilitate Buona Pizza by purchasing their building at fair market value and then paying their interim rent at another downtown location until the new building at the former Buona site was completed, at which point the Piccolinos could move back in? If the Piccolinos honestly think their building is a beautiful sight to look at, then I feel sorry for their lack of taste (especially with that gawdy billboard advertising an ambulance chaser perched atop of the edifice). The Coney Island building could easily be restored and included in the project.

I don't care if Mr. Rinaldi and Mr. Doherty are in cahoots---if this project comes to fruition just as it appears it will be in conjunction with the successful filling of the Southern Union building AND the completion of the Connell Building, then downtown will continue to rebound.

[weluvpa]

These are three quotes from that article that I don't like and they are indicative of developers that couldn't develope a cold without help.



"Walking around the block, Mr. Rinaldi waved his hand and used words like “envision” and “imagine” as he describes what $20 million will do for the block. He compared the project to something one might see in a European village or the LoDo district of Denver."


"The project is heavily supported by public funding, including $10 million from Gov. Ed Rendell’s capital budget. Other funding came from local governments, Mr. Rinaldi’s company and the property owners."


The economy isn’t as strong as it was when the project was announced in 2004, and the market for the 13 condo units probably will not be as vibrant in the face of the housing and credit crises. The project is unique, Mr. Rinaldi said, so he is hopeful it will buck economic trends and be successful.



The city is not in any financial situation to be giving money to a project that "is hopeful it will buck economic trends and be successful". This is not a European Village and it will never be Denver or the LoDo district. If it wasn't for the public money this would not be happening. It is not going to bring any real jobs to the city . Is this a KOZ zone?

If this is such a promising project that will good for the city, then why are the buildings still for sale? They really have no definite tenants other then the coffee company.

Its certainly never going to return a profit on $20,000,000 or $10,000,000 for that matter. This qualifies as a useless project that has been over funded from the public trough.

If there are no companies or jobs then none of this matters. They are putting the cart before the horse and wondering why they are going nowhere fast. We need serious economic development and without it the rest of this is just a smoke screen. Suddenly this is moving and getting press, its not a election year is it?

[SteelCityRising]

Would you prefer the block continue to sit and decay into the streets? Just look at the downtowns in Pittston, Carbondale, Nanticoke, Plymouth, Edwardsville, etc. Everyone assumes (often correctly) that these towns are full of uneducated white-trash folks who take no pride in their properties based on the fact that every other month a block of their downtown sidewalks are being closed for collapsing facades. Need I remind you all of the "Tomato Tarp Fiasco" here in Downtown Pittston from several years ago in which city officials, embarrassed by how long three buildings were allowing to sit half-collapsed into the street, decided to throw a large black tarp with a tomato on it just before the tomato festival to not deter tourists? At least Scranton's downtown is BEAUTIFUL. You can't say that for any other "city" in our region (save for parts of Downtown Wilkes-Barre).

[sues1]

Can you please tell me where downtown Scranton is "BEAUTIFUL", other than a few old buildings i don't see anything beautiful about it, i find it to be dirty and trashy looking. Beautiful is not a word i think of or ever did when i see Scranton. I never heard anyone say Scranton is beautiful. Maybe i'm missing something, i just don't see it. It's actually depressing looking.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by sues1

Can you please tell me where downtown Scranton is "BEAUTIFUL", other than a few old buildings i don't see anything beautiful about it, i find it to be dirty and trashy looking. Beautiful is not a word i think of or ever did when i see Scranton. I never heard anyone say Scranton is beautiful. Maybe i'm missing something, i just don't see it. It's actually depressing looking.

Scranton = Valhalla










When you come from a town that looks like this...
























...then is it any wonder why the hell I'd consider Scranton to be beautiful in comparison and want to leave Pittston to the panhandlers and the drug addicts? I mean, look at this hell hole! People wonder why I oppose suburban sprawl? THIS IS WHAT IT DOES TO OUR TOWNS! You Scrantonians really need to stop with the whining---does your whole city look like Baghdad, as Pittston now does? At least your politicians accomplish SOMETHING---ours couldn't even finish a freakin' street light project! Do you want more photographic evidence showing how FAR AHEAD Scranton TRULY is in relation to the rest of the region's cities?

[sues1]

Those buildings you posted are beautiful, but alot of Scranton looks just like those pics you posted of Pittston, you're just not seeing them, i'll be glad to show you where you can find pics like that in Scranton.

[weluvpa]

What I would like to see is a real PRIVATE developer come in and build one of these projects thru investments and PRIVATE funding. These guys are not developers they parasites on the public funding teet and without it they would be nobody and these projects would not exist.

If they were private developers that knew what they were doing these projects would already be done.

These projects in the downtown are nothing other then white elephants on the backs of the taxpayers and I for one don't think that taxpayer monies should be used for private profit.

They are riding on the coat tails of Doherty. The economy sucks and even Rinaldi sounded doubtful, but guess what they have the state money so screw it, build it anyway.

The Southern Union is perfect example. We couldn't give that new top o line building away to any real corporations they would never move into a tax structure like Scranton has. It finally sells after all these years to a local guy???? I'll bet you that Mr. Donahue moves his business in first to reap the KOZ and he will be followed by companies that are already in the city so they to can reap the koz and what do we get from it ??????? NOTHING. Don't say foot traffic because the downtown is busy as hell during the day now and yet its still sinking lower into the financial blackhole.

THIS IS A HUGE WASTE OF TAXPAYER MONEY. It should have been build with PRIVATE funds. We are not the corporate or developer welfare office.

If you can't afford to build it too bad because we can't either.

Paul you need to get the hell out of NEPA for awhile. Maybe Grad school? Scranton is not a total loss but for gods sake man its no Vahalla.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by sues1

Those buildings you posted are beautiful, but alot of Scranton looks just like those pics you posted of Pittston, you're just not seeing them, i'll be glad to show you where you can find pics like that in Scranton.

No. I am well aware that there is blight in Scranton. The problem is that while Scranton has hundreds of images I can post to redeem itself, Pittston pretty much looks like one big slum with no "beauty" to it.