NEPA Upcoming Projects Thread (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre: sale, HOA, condos)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by coartist88

This is outstanding dwight! alot of good info here

Thanks! There's plenty more to come! Unlike the proposed mixed-use projects in Downtown Scranton which have mostly fizzled out, just about all of these projects should come to fruition. That convenience store in South Abington might be the only NIMBY casualty.

[SteelCityRising]

The site of the former Specialty Defense Helmet Company building at the southwestern corner of the intersection of Sherwood Avenue and Reeves Street in Dunmore could soon be home to new condos. Mastriani Realty Co. wishes to build a 2-story, 40-unit condominium complex on the site, which is in the heart of a dense Dunmore residential neighborhood. Nearby residents have been rather hypocritical about the project, first saying they don't like having to stare at an eyesore but then also saying that they don't want a dense residential condo project in their neighborhood due to congestion fears. The developer plans to include 80 parking spots on-site to adhere to the borough's two-spot per unit regulations, which shouldn't have any impact upon existing on-street parking issues.

Here is an aerial image of the project, with the structure in question approximately in the center:



This parcel sits several blocks north of East Drinker Street and several blocks east of North Blakely Street in the northeastern part of the borough.

[SteelCityRising]

My prediction of the Bear Creek/Buck Township area along the Route 115 corridor between Blakeslee and Wilkes-Barre experiencing strong residential growth is starting to take shape. A proposed 366-acre, 355-unit mixed housing development was turned down late last year by the Bear Creek Township Zoning Board, but the developer is planning to work the kinks out of his plans and once again approach the board at a later date.

Plans call for an "active adult community" of 299 townhomes and 56 detached single-family homes being developed across Route 115 from the entrance to Laurel Brook Estates. Residents have expressed concern over increasing traffic congestion on Route 115, which is already heavily-used by people commuting from the Poconos to Wilkes-Barre. In my personal experience there would probably have to be a traffic light placed at the entrance to the development to regulate the four-way traffic from Laurel Brook Estates and this new "active adult" community. Residents also complained that the township would lose its rural character and take one more step towards becoming suburbanized. Once again I foresee Bear Creek Township and adjacent Buck Township booming in residential growth in the upcoming years, whether residents like it or not, as the gaps between Monroe County and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre begin to fill in with NY/NJ transplants. You might as well support this project but hope that it will be done in as tasteful of a fashion as possible.

Here is an aerial image I have included for the general proposed location of this subdivision:




In this photo you can see Route 115 with the entrance to Laurel Brook Estates landmarked by a mansion on the corner.

[SteelCityRising]

Pittston Township will continue its exponential growth with the development of a new shopping center known as "Pittston Crossings." This "power center" will be anchored by a new 180,789 Wal-Mart Supercenter and will feature 17 smaller stores ranging from 1,200-square-feet to 7,200-square-feet. A list of proposed tenants is not yet available, but judging from the developer's previous commercial ventures, one could hazard a guess that the Shoppes at Montage is to the Steamtown Mall as Pittston Crossings will be to the Pittston Commons/Pittston Plaza complex. Just as how Montage has lured businesses out of Steamtown, I predict that some of the current tenants of the Pittston Commons/Pittston Plaza (Hallmark, Fashion Bug, Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, Curves, etc.) will move to the newer Pittston Crossings store on heavily-visible Highway 315, leaving a largely-abandoned Route 11 corridor through our township in its wake.

Here is an image of the proposed project:



Here you can see Butler Heights, my own subdivision of 28 homes, in the top-center of the photo. The block of land wedged between Curtain Street and Highway 315 will house an L-shaped complex of 17 small stores; abandoned buildings on that parcel will be razed. I-81 runs nearby, and to give commuters a better point of reference the Pilot Travel Center sits right next to where it says Hillside Avenue. There is an existing hotel near the I-81 Southbound offramp. The new Wal-Mart Supercenter will be just to the right of it.

A new four-lane road will be built from the light at Pilot @ 315 back into the shopping center and then behind this as well to hook into a future phase of the massive Center Point commercial project (on those coal-scarred lands in the upper-right-hand quadrant). In essence there will be a rough L-shaped road stretching from Pilot back into Pittston Crossings and then jutting due south to Oak Street near the new Junior Achievement Academy. Needless to say traffic, which is already a nightmare at rush-hour, will be getting progressively worse once all of these township projects are completed. If I thought battling traffic now on my runs were bad, then one year from now I'll have to literally be stopping traffic!

[SteelCityRising]

The Back Mountain, an upper-middle-class suburban network to the northwest of Wilkes-Barre, is currently home to 30,000 residents and will soon be home to hundreds more with the completion of Yalick Farms, a new mixed-use community and the Back Mountain's first experiment with "smart growth." Condos will be within walking distance to dozens of businesses, some of which will even be located atop businesses for those who wish to live and work in the same unit.

Here is an image of the area in question, at the intersection of Routes 415 and 118 between Dallas and Harvey's Lake. This photo is a bit old (thank you Microsoft), and many more "clusters" have been developed since then on this parcel.



A quick check of the developer's site says that the units are "selling fast," even though I have yet to see one property transfer from this project in the newspaper. The community will boast:

-2 miles of tree-lined sidewalks
-35 retail stores
-Maintenance-free exteriors
-HOA
-Club house w/ballroom, pool, gym, game room, etc.
-112 Condominiums in 4-unit clusters
-Units starting in Upper-$200k range





While I applaud this developer for bringing "smart growth" to the Back Mountain, I would advocate NO GROWTH until current problems are addressed. The Dallas School District has become so overcrowded that seniors at the high school with good grades are being permitted to be dismissed early this semester to help ease traffic congestion. Rush-hour traffic congestion on Route 309 near the rock cut can be wicked. Until the school district can build more schools and Route 309 can be widened, I'm a bit worried about so many hundreds of residents still moving to the Back Mountain annually.

[SteelCityRising]

There are also plans to build chain businesses on outparcels, according to a source I met while working at Lowe's last Fall. According to him one will definitely be a Wal-Mart, bringing the tally of these stores in Luzerne County to at least six by 2009.

Here is the site-plan:

[SteelCityRising]

In addition to Yalick Farms there are many more large-scale projects being developed in the Back Mountain region, including Goodleigh Manor. This upscale subdivision being developed by Landview Properties, the same developers of Laurel Brook Estates in Bear Creek Township and Harmony Hills in Moscow, will feature 141 luxury homes on 500 acres of land. Parcels range in size from 2 acres to 15 acres. There are also two miles dedicated within the community for biking and walking trails.

I must take issue with something the developer states though: "There is nothing like this in the area nor will there be ever again." Laurel Brook Estates is most certainly in the same area and was even developed by this same firm, and it appears as if Goodleigh Manor will be very similar in nature. To also assume that there will be no future large-scale attractive upscale subdivisions in the Back Mountain is like saying President Bush will never mispronounce "nuclear" ever again. It's just not true.

Here is an overview of the 500 acres the subdivision encompasses. There are now many homes built here, and you can follow the road cuts through the trees to get a good general idea of where they are in relation to Upper Demunds Road and Lake Catalpa Road in Dallas Township.



Unlike Yalick Farms I have seen many lots in Goodleigh Manor sold already in the newspaper property transfers, so I'm unsure of how many may be left available for sale.

[SteelCityRising]

Does anyone think we should make this thread a "sticky" so it will be easier to find and update as the months progress? It's just an idea.

[SteelCityRising]

Shown in the middle of this photograph is Seaman's Airport near Lake Sheridan and Factoryville, which will be the focal point for a new residential "airpark" community in which residents can own a home with right-of-way to taxi their private planes onto the runway. The yellowish dashed line delineates Wyoming County on the left from Lackawanna County on the right. "Skyline Estates" will feature 47 lots, 31 of which will have direct runway access.

There's an interesting article from the Scranton Times-Tribune that is quite a good read for anyone with an interest in this project:

The Times-Tribune - Developer hopes sky park takes off (http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18752216&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id =590572&rfi=8 - broken link)

[SteelCityRising]

A developer plans to tear down Stackhouse Auto Electric Inc. on Wyoming Avenue, a business that's been at the same location in the "Garden Village" for 88 years, in order to make way for a new 11,000-square-foot Rite-Aid store and a new park that will not have to be maintained by the borough. As part of the project a small sliver of Fourth Street will be vacated. In exchange for vacating this section of roadway, the developer and Mr. Stackhouse will jointly maintain a park with 19 trees, a large, free-standing town clock, and benches, all of which will beautify one of the few remaining blighted intersections in West Pittston.

Here is an image of the property in question:



Stackhouse Electric sits in the triangular lot framed by Wyoming Avenue, Fourth Street, and Chase Street. An abandoned CVS sits on this site as well (there is a new CVS just a few blocks away). This building and the Stackhouse building will be razed, and the section of Fourth Street between Boston Avenue and Chase Street will be vacated by the borough as part of the project. I firmly believe this is yet another sign that West Pittston continues to make strides in the "Rite" (pun intended) direction.