The property at 15 S. Franklin St. in downtown Wilkes-Barre is well on its way to becoming housing units, conveniently located just across the street from another historical downtown building converted into living quarters, The Bank. Jeff Algatt, Senior VP of Colliers International says the developer expects the project to be completed later this year.
Ryan Evans | Times Leader
Properties on S. Franklin, N. River streets will add over 100 new units
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Diamond City Partnership’s Executive Director Larry Newman says the most recent census results show 1000 new residents in the ‘core of downtown.’ ‘The reality is that the emergence of downtown Wilkes-Barre as a walk to everything neighborhood of choice is going to be a key element of downtown’s revival as it emerges from the pandemic,’ he said.
Ryan Evans | Times Leader
Between the 15 S. Franklin St. location and the former Sterling Annex at 19 N. River, which is expected to be completed even sooner, downtown will see roughly 100 new livable spaces.
Ryan Evans | Times Leader
Just across the street from 19 N. River is the dual archway of the River Common, seen here illuminated on a winter night. It’s home to a 750-seat amphitheater, paved walkway overlooking the Susquehanna River, fishing pier, and unique architecture and sculptures, as well as lush gardens and landscapes in the warmer months.
Ryan Evans | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE – It’s hard to grasp that 2020 was only two years ago when it feels like a decade, or even longer. But it was back in February of 2020 that the 10-story building at 15 S. Franklin, was sold to an anonymous developer in northern New Jersey.
The plan at the time was that the upper levels would be converted into condos or apartments, while the lower floors would be available for commercial use. Jeff Algatt, Senior Vice President of Colliers International, who closed the sale, provided an update to a reporter this past week.
He said the developer expects the job to be finished by mid-2022 or perhaps a little closer to the third quarter of this year. “We think the first floor will stay commercial, and then the remaining nine floors will be apartments, ” he said. The estimate is for 50 apartments, at roughly 1,000 square feet per unit.
The job comes about at a critical time in the city’s rebound from the pandemic.
Larry Newman, Executive Director of the Diamond City Partnership says the 2020 census results provide all the information needed to know that the people who’ve worked over the last decade to revitalize downtown, have been headed in the right direction. “The Census results speak for themselves,” he said.
Those recently released results show that the tract which makes up the core of downtown, from “South Street in the South to North Street in the North,” has seen a population increase of about a thousand people in the last decade (2010–2020) or about 38%, as Newman pointed out.
“The reality is that the emergence of downtown Wilkes-Barre as a walk-to-everything neighborhood of choice is going to be a key element of downtown’s revival as it emerges from the pandemic,” he said. And with the South Franklin Street building, and the old Sterling annex at 19 N. River St. nearing completion even sooner, that’s upwards of 100 new units. The hope is that folks will occupy those spaces and jump-start the area’s economy.
As Newman pointed out, with a population increase, it’s expected that there would be an economic increase, as more people means not only more necessary services, but more retail opportunities.
He remarked, “We have definitely seen demand for downtown residents, and I think that as that population grows, we’re going to see the nature of the business mix, and at street level, adapt to meet the needs of those residents.”
He pointed to the success of local coffee shops, saying that it’s not necessarily office workers providing business for that black gold — or cold-brew or latte or what-have-you — but residents, and to a lesser extent, college students.
That said, there is an understanding that some folks may not want to live in a “dense urban environment.” The key, he says, is to have housing options in the community that provide the fullest range of choices to potential residents: “If we don’t offer that walk to everything option, we could still end up being passed over by people who might otherwise choose to move to our community and build their lives here.”
The difference between a community and a lot of people living in the same area is easy: a community works together to support one another. And here in downtown Wilkes-Barre, there are certainly folks hard at work to not only rebound, but to create a stronger sense of community in a town people will be proud to call home.