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One downtown revitalization effort flopped in 2009, but officials are trying again.
A new Plymouth downtown revitalization project calls for the purchase and demolition of this furniture store.
S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER
The Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority now owns this building, part of a project that fizzled.
S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER
Plymouth and the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority had planned to purchase this East Main Street property.
S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER
Plans to put a new retail complex and drug store in this block of East Main Street in downtown Plymouth did not materialize, despite Luzerne County’s allocation of $350,000 toward the project. A new proposed plan to spruce facades and landscaping is in the works.
S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER
Mazur
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series examining the status of area building projects funded by public money.
PLYMOUTH – The pitch for a downtown Plymouth revitalization plan was strong enough to convince Luzerne County Commissioners to allocate $350,000 at the end of 2006.
The money would help buy East Main Street buildings that had to be leveled to make way for a strip mall, national pharmacy and more parking, commissioners were told by representatives of the borough and the county Redevelopment Authority administering the project.
The former PNC Bank building was purchased for $140,000, and down payments were made on two other buildings in the target area between Center and Eno streets.
But the project never took off.
The first and then second developer pulled out, and the state withdrew $1.255 million in gambling tax money earmarked for the project, citing the borough’s failure to provide requested documentation and proof that significant public input was sought on the proposed project.
Now the redevelopment authority owns a former bank building that’s no longer part of any active project, and only roughly $120,000 remains from the county allocation, records show. The county funding came from money borrowed through capital bonds.
“The bottom line is the people of Plymouth and the county taxpayers got hurt,” said borough resident Clif Madrack, who is running in the May primary to be on the ballot for borough council.
Borough Coordinator Joe Mazur said the project was solid when it was pitched and pursued, but it fell apart for several reasons, and he still holds out hope that the project will happen.
Mazur said he and other borough officials originally wanted to acquire and demolish property to make room for more parking along the main drag.
Allan Bellas, who was redevelopment authority executive director at that time, suggested the borough consider if private developers would be interested in building retail space at the site, said Mazur.
Mazur and Bellas knew each other from serving together on the Wyoming Valley West School Board, and the authority had handled another large project in the borough in the past, said Mazur, who also serves on the redevelopment authority.
Developer pulls out
Bellas helped the borough secure a developer; however, that prospect later backed out because some property owners in the block did not want to sell their structures at the appraised values, Mazur said.
Another developer surfaced, and purchase agreements were executed with most of the property owners, he said.
The redevelopment authority went ahead with the purchase of the former PNC bank building because it was up for sale and within the project site, Mazur said.
The second developer pulled out, in large part due to difficulties negotiating the positioning of the anchor drug store with the state Department of Community and Economic Development, which oversees the distribution of gambling money, Mazur said.
Chain drug store owners want their stores set back from the main street to allow parking in front of the buildings, and DCED was more supportive of structures fronting the sidewalk, Mazur said.
Concerns were also expressed about the demolition of buildings with older facades that some believed add character to the downtown, Mazur said.
The DCED sent Mazur a letter in February 2009 giving the borough 60 days to submit requested documentation about the project, including evidence that the borough sought “significant” public input on the community revitalization strategy.
A follow-up letter was sent to Mazur in April 2009 informing him that the allocation was rescinded because none of the requested information was submitted to the state.
Mazur said he and other borough officials had every intention of seeking citizen input on the plan, but they wanted to ensure that a developer was on board before publicly presenting details.
Bellas could not be reached for comment. He was charged in October 2009 as part of the federal corruption probe for accepting money from a contractor who did business with the authority. Bellas is currently on probation.
Consultant now hired
A borough downtown revitalization plan has been revived, but it is now headed in a new direction.
The DCED gave the borough a $40,000 Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance Program grant to hire a planning consultant and assemble a steering committee to come up with a strategy.
Mullin & Lonergan Associates, Camp Hill, prepared a new revitalization plan based on public input, and the borough and redevelopment authority have submitted a new application seeking $1.579 million in gambling revenue.
The new plan calls for the renovation of existing fa?ades, improved signage and trees, planters, banners and benches to make the core business district — from Academy to Elm Street — more cohesive and attractive.
Acquisition and demolition of the prominent Fainberg’s Furniture building is also proposed to create a large, visible parking lot along Main Street that links to the borough’s lot in the rear of that block.
The plan, which would be completed in phases as money becomes available, would also include pedestrian crossings and a park that adds green space to the commercial corridor and provides a spot for community events, such as the annual Kielbasa Festival, the plan says.
A decision on which county projects receive gambling funding may be made next month, according to the state.
Timeline
• November 2006:
Luzerne County Commissioners decide to use some of the money the county borrowed through bonds to help fund community capital projects, and Plymouth requests $350,000 toward the acquisition and demolition of unspecified East Main Street structures. The $6.3 million project would create 15,000 square feet of retail space, a public parking lot and room for Mark Development to construct a CVS Pharmacy.
• December 2006:
County commissioners unanimously voted to allocate $5.2 million to various projects, including $350,000 for the Plymouth revitalization, which was being administered by the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority.
• October 2007:
The Redevelopment Authority uses $14,000 of the county funding to pay Rosen Real Estate to complete appraisals of eight East Main Street properties slated for purchase and demolition as part of the project.
• March 2008:
The Redevelopment Authority uses the county funding to pay 5-percent deposits on two properties slated for purchase in the project — $23,250 to Stanley Fainberg for 49-57 E. Main St. and $7,500 to Pauline Macini for 61-65 E. Main St.
• April 2008:
The state Department of Community and Economic Development approves a $1.255 million allocation of gambling money for the Plymouth project.
Allan Bellas, who was authority executive director at that time, said the borough and authority had a developer in place willing to invest $6 million in the project to build a 7,500-square-foot strip mall and national chain drug store at the site.
• May 2008:
The Redevelopment Authority uses the county funding to pay a $7,000 down-payment on the PNC Bank building on East Main Street. Another $138,325 in county funding is used two months later to purchase the PNC building, which is now owned by the Redevelopment Authority.
• July 2008:
The DCED gives the borough, through the redevelopment authority, a $40,000 Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance Program grant to hire a planning consultant and assemble a steering committee to complete a downtown revitalization plan.
• February 2009:
Plymouth Borough Coordinator Joe Mazur said at a borough council meeting that the downtown project was stalled due to the slow economy but that he was assured by state officials that the $1.255 million was still earmarked for the project.
Later that month, the DCED sends Mazur a letter saying that the borough may lose the $1.255 million gambling allocation if it does not provide documentation requested by the state within 60 days, including complete details about the project and evidence that “significant public input” was obtained as part of the project.
• April 2009:
The DCED sends Mazur a letter saying the gambling allocation was rescinded because the borough did not supply the requested information.
• June 2009:
Camp Hill-based Mullin & Lonergan Associates is contracted to prepare a downtown revitalization strategy.
• July 2009:
A kick-off meeting is held to start designing a downtown revitalization plan.
• August 2010:
Mullin & Lonergan releases a draft downtown revitalization strategy that is used as a basis to again request gambling funding from the state.