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WILKES-BARRE TWP. &mdash; The new Panera Bread in the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons off of Mundy Street is nearing completion, but the developer said Monday that there currently are no plans to build another strip of retail spaces.
				Thomas Zedolik, Wilkes-Barre Township zoning and code enforcement officer, Monday said the contractor working on the Panera building told him that their work must be completed by June 1.
				&ldquo;I would think that the restaurant will open soon after that,&rdquo; Zedolik said. &ldquo;When the work is done, I will inspect the site and then issue a certificate of occupancy.&rdquo;
				Zedolik said the opening of Panera Bread has been anticipated for months. The Wilkes-Barre Township Commons, located off of Mundy Street, was devastated by the tornado of June 2018 and the buildings that housed Panera and other retail stores were condemned and demolished.
				Panera will locate in a free-standing building that will feature a drive-through lane.
				Chris Weilminster, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Urban Edge Properties of Paramus, New Jersey, site developer, said he hopes Panera will open soon.
				&ldquo;The tornado was obviously a horrible event for us and our neighbors in the community,&rdquo; Weilminster said. &ldquo;We are happy to be able to bring back a cherished place like Panera&rsquo;Bread. We are extremely pleased to be able to do that.&rdquo;
				But as far as additional development on the site, Weilminster said that decision is yet to be determined.
				&ldquo;Everything is undecided at this time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Any decision would be deal-driven &mdash; we would have to find the right tenants for any transaction to make sense. Right now, there are no negotiations going on for future development of that parcel.&rdquo;
				Cumberland Farms
				Zedolik said he has been informed that the project at Blackman Street and Route 309 has changed in name. He said the original plans called for a Turkey Hill to be built, but Zedolik said it will now be a Cumberland Farms complex.
				&ldquo;It will be the same thing &mdash; the type of development has not changed, just the name,&rdquo; Zedolik said. &ldquo;A convenience store with gas pumps.&rdquo;
				In 2020, Zedolik said several existing buildings on Route 309 and Blackman Street, which once housed a repair garage, a bar and other businesses &mdash; along with three private homes &mdash; were purchased by Turkey Hill&rsquo;s new parent company, United Kingdom-based E.G. Group.
				In October 2019, E.G. Group announced it had purchased Cumberland Farms. The United Kingdom-based company completed its acquisition of the convenience store chain on Oct. 22, 2019. Cumberland Farms operates 567 stores in seven Northeast states and Florida.
				Cindy Rantanen, vice president of brands and public relations for E.G. America, said last year when the Blackman Street project was announced, that the company has the property under contract. She said five properties were purchased from four different owners and the site measures three acres.
				Rantanen said the new Turkey Hill will include a full convenience store, a fast food restaurant with a brand partner still to be named, a car wash and fuel stations.
				Bob Evans site
				Zedolik said he is awaiting a land development application for the former Bob Evans Restaurant site, which closed in 2020, and will become a Discount Tire store.
				The building on the site now will be demolished and a new building will go up,&rdquo; Zedolik said.

New Panera Bread restaurant off Mundy Street is nearing completion