Construction of new Mt. Pleasant Medical Center continues Teusday near Linden Street in SCranton
Workers on Tuesday started to install a steel frame for a 30,000-square-foot building in Scranton at the Mount Pleasant Corporate Center.
Two existing city medical businesses have signed on as tenants at the new building, under development by Beacon Summit at Scranton LLC, officials said Tuesday. The two tenants will be Physicians Health Alliance and Valley Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, both currently located on Adams Avenue.
About 50 jobs are expected during the life of the construction, which will result in a two-story building projected for occupancy by the early fall.
“We’re excited,” said Dan Siegel, a partner in Linden, N.J.-based Beacon. “With the building 50 percent leased and with the steel going up, we’re very hopeful we’re going to lease the balance of the building.”
The $5 million building project on the former brownfields site will generate local taxes, Mr. Siegel noted.
The Keystone Opportunity Zone status, which provided those in the zone with tax breaks, expired at the end of 2010.
The work marks a step forward in a long-standing project led by the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce to develop the 23-acre corporate park, a site off the McDade Expressway. Now, officials say they hope construction of the Beacon building with two expected tenants will spur additional development. “This building should be the catalyst, it should kick start the whole business park,” said Mike Detter, of Hinerfeld Commercial Real Estate, the listing broker agent. “It’s a fantastic location, one of the gateways of the city.”
A little over 17 acres and four lots remain.
The chamber’s development arm – the Scranton-Lackawanna Industrial Building Co. – sold the 3.26-acre property to Beacon for $792,000 in 2009.
“It is good to see some activity there, hopefully it will spur interest and help us sell the other lots,” said Karl F. Pfeiffenberger, chamber project manager.
Meanwhile, Scranton City Council is considering legislation it tabled that would allow the city to accept a driveway and storm water basin – each for $1 – at the park.
Mr. Pfeiffenberger said construction is permitted to continue without transfer of the rights of way. But, he added having public infrastructure in place helps the chamber market the remaining lots. “Any business wants to be located off public infrastructure,” Mr. Pfeiffenberger said.
Valley Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery declined to comment, while efforts to reach Physicians Health Alliance were unsuccessful.
Contact the writer: jmrozinski@timesshamrock.com
