Pocono News Section

Redevelopment Construction Finally Underway

Redevelopment Construction Finally Underway - Thursday, September 13, 2007 at 4:29PM EST

Reported by: David DeCosmo
Thursday, Sep 13, 2007 @04:29pm EST

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- Preliminary work has finally started on a 20-million dollar renovation project in downtown Scranton. Utilities are being relocated for a project that will eventually bring a major facelift to the last undeveloped block of Lackawanna Avenue. It has been just over three years since Governor Ed Rendell came to Scranton with a 9 million dollar redevelopment assistant grant for a project in the 500 block of Lackawanna Avenue. It represented seed money for a twenty million dollar project to make structural and cosmetic repairs to about a dozen buildings. Now the first physical work on that block has begun. Most of it, including the initial relocation of utility lines, is being done at night. Of course while this work is being done there will be some traffic pattern changes in downtown Scranton. Community Development Coordinator Sara Hailstone explained "There will be limited traffic flow on Lackawanna Avenue because of the projects. On some evenings Lackawanna Avenue will have to be shut down." Firm development plans are still in the works and there's still some question about plans for two properties at either end of the block. One is Buona Pizza, the other Coney Island Lunch. Tom Moran owns Coney Island Lunch. He said he's very much in favor of the development but wants the plan for new sidewalks to be extended in front of his building. He declared "This is a business that has generated business in Scranton for 85 years. It supports 5 families. We've never asked for anything. We don't want anything. We just want to be part of this project." There's no word on when the actual renovations will begin or end. But supporters said it will give a whole new look to downtown. "This is the last block in the city that has no true construction, no true redevelopment happening" explained Hailstone.