Wilkes-Barre Renovations (Scranton, Northampton: apartments, movie theater, construction)

[W-B My Kind of Town]

Does anyone know what they are doing in the old Southside bank building at the corner of South Main and Ross Streets(across from the Post Office). I went by there a few days ago and I saw lights on inside and a few weeks ago I saw people appling stucco to the back of the building.

[W-B proud]

I think it is gonna be college apartments on the top floors and a restaraunt/bar on the ground floor. They started that project years ago, then it stalled out, and now it looks like they are back to work fixing it up again. I believe the bar was to be named "The Wilkes-Bar". I don't know if the plans have changed, but that was the original plan. Whatever they do there, it'll be much better then what used to be there. That corner used to be hooker/drug dealer central a few years ago. I'll take a college bar and apartments any day over that.

[ConfusingRotary]

Drug dealers and hookers vs drug users and promiscuous coeds. Haha

[W-B My Kind of Town]

Originally Posted by W-B proud

I think it is gonna be college apartments on the top floors and a restaraunt/bar on the ground floor. They started that project years ago, then it stalled out, and now it looks like they are back to work fixing it up again. I believe the bar was to be named "The Wilkes-Bar". I don't know if the plans have changed, but that was the original plan. Whatever they do there, it'll be much better then what used to be there. That corner used to be hooker/drug dealer central a few years ago. I'll take a college bar and apartments any day over that.

Hooker/Drug dealer-that describes pretty much all of South Main Street past Northampton Street.

[W-B proud]

Originally Posted by W-B My Kind of Town

Hooker/Drug dealer-that describes pretty much all of South Main Street past Northampton Street.

Believe me, South Main street is ten thousand times better then it used to be. I used to drive night shift taxi in Wilkes-Barre, and from midnight on there would be open prostitution and drug dealing, and shady looking people all up and down South Main street. It was just just crawling with bad people. The only traffic at night would be john's, and junkies driving around. It was scary, and normal people avioded it like the plague, and for good reason. The police have been doing an outstanding job patroling S. Main st and downtown in general, ever since the construction of the movie theater, and University Corners. The difference is night and day. I see none of the drug dealers, and hookers now. I don't know if they went a few blocks over or what, but I see alot more college kids, and security guards at night now, compared to the homeless, junkie's, dealers, hookers, john's, and mental people that used to rule South main street after dark.

[W-B proud]

It looks like "Gage" restaraunt/bar on North Main st by Kings is opened, or is opening shortly. The Gateway Project is nearly complete at North and North main sts., and the Intermodal Transportation Center is also nearing completion. Bottleneck's pub is also going to be opening a location in downtown W-B in the near future. The downtown has seen alot of progress and new buisnesses open up in the last year. It's all good news for the city. I hope it all continues.

[Magritte25]

Me too WBP! Do you live near downtown? We do and I have to say I think we picked a very good time to move there....

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by W-B proud

It looks like "Gage" restaraunt/bar on North Main st by Kings is opened, or is opening shortly. The Gateway Project is nearly complete at North and North main sts., and the Intermodal Transportation Center is also nearing completion. Bottleneck's pub is also going to be opening a location in downtown W-B in the near future. The downtown has seen alot of progress and new buisnesses open up in the last year. It's all good news for the city. I hope it all continues.

Unfortunately, it seems NEPA's idea of "progress" and "revitalization" is opening more bars. Aren't there enough bars in this area already? Wilkes-Barre is doing the same thing Scranton did....open more bars and then brag about all the "progress." We see how that's playing out in Scranton...a couple of years from now, you will see the same thing happen in W-B.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by W-B proud

Believe me, South Main street is ten thousand times better then it used to be. I used to drive night shift taxi in Wilkes-Barre, and from midnight on there would be open prostitution and drug dealing, and shady looking people all up and down South Main street. It was just just crawling with bad people. The only traffic at night would be john's, and junkies driving around. It was scary, and normal people avioded it like the plague, and for good reason. The police have been doing an outstanding job patroling S. Main st and downtown in general, ever since the construction of the movie theater, and University Corners. The difference is night and day. I see none of the drug dealers, and hookers now. I don't know if they went a few blocks over or what, but I see alot more college kids, and security guards at night now, compared to the homeless, junkie's, dealers, hookers, john's, and mental people that used to rule South main street after dark.

I still see a lot of shady people hanging around Carmen's and the pawn shop on South Main during daylight hours.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by go phillies

Unfortunately, it seems NEPA's idea of "progress" and "revitalization" is opening more bars. Aren't there enough bars in this area already? Wilkes-Barre is doing the same thing Scranton did....open more bars and then brag about all the "progress." We see how that's playing out in Scranton...a couple of years from now, you will see the same thing happen in W-B.

I disagree. We have a lot more opening here than just bars. We also have a beautiful new riverfront tying the whole downtown together. Hopefully something will be done with Masonic temple.

And honestly? We don't have that many bars in the downtown area...at least not any more than any other city our size.