A 10-acre property in Scranton’s Green Ridge section could soon have new life — and a new purpose.
Marywood University is seeking a buyer for the former Scranton State School for the Deaf property, which has sat vacant since 2011.
The university and Hinerfeld Commercial Real Estate entered into a listing agreement on Tuesday. Unlike a typical commercial listing, there will be no sign on the property and no list price. Instead, the listing agent will seek proposals for the potential purchase and use of the property at Electric Street and North Washington Avenue.
“It’s one of the prime locations in Northeastern Pennsylvania right now,” said John Cognetti, president of Hinerfeld.
Marywood acquired the property from the state in 2011 for $500,000, after the state gave control of the deaf school to the private Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. The deaf school became the Scranton School for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Children and moved to the former Lourdesmont campus in South Abington Twp. Before the state relinquished control, deaf students had been educated on the campus for more than 100 years.
Instead of renovating the property, Marywood focused on improving and building on its existing campus a few blocks away. Before the sale, state officials estimated that the cost of environmental problems, including asbestos and lead paint, and rehabilitating selected buildings was between $25 million and $30 million.
Marywood figures showed the state overestimated and full renovation of all buildings could cost $25 million to $30 million, spokeswoman Juneann Greco said. Estimates for abatement of the environmental problems came in at less than $200,000, she said.
The university will only sell the property if the right opportunity presents itself, and one idea university officials have said they would like to see is a senior citizen housing facility, she said. The convenient location would provide access to shopping, churches and educational opportunities, Ms. Greco said.
Marywood also expects an economic boom in the region from the sale and development of the property, including the property joining the tax rolls.
While many of the buildings on the campus have beautiful exteriors, they need extensive work on the inside. Marywood would not be involved with deciding whether the buildings should be renovated or razed, Ms. Greco said.
There is no time line for a potential sale of the property, Mr. Cognetti said. Once he distributes information to prospective buyers, he will arrange tours and collect proposals for use of the property.
“It’s the beginning of a process,” he said. “It’s going to lead hopefully to a project that will be beneficial to the community, the region and Marywood University.”
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