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Frank A. Bucci Jr., MD. named Premier Surgeon by Ocular Surgery News

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A $28 million hotel and conference center proposed for the city&#8217;s downtown is waiting on the resolution of a property ownership issue before the developer can proceed, an architect for the project said Tuesday.</p><p>The holdup involves the need to verify the ownership of one of three parcels on the corner of South Main and West Northampton streets that the city intends to sell for a total of $500,000 to Sphere International LLC of Mumbai, India.</p><p>&#8220;One of the city properties did not have a clean title,&#8221; said Alex Belavitz, president of Facility Design &amp; Development Ltd. in Scranton. He said he anticipates the issue will be resolved by July 1 so the sale can close and the project, announced eight months ago, can proceed.</p><p>Belavitz could not provide definitive start and completion dates for construction of the Wilkes-Barre hotel and conference center and a smaller, four-story hotel Colors Hospitality LLC plans for Mundy Street in Wilkes-Barre Township. The properties have a common partner who is part of a consortium of developers with assets worldwide, some further along in development than the local ones, Belavitz said.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re busy,&#8221; Belavitz said. &#8220;We work with other development groups that are the same way. They get to things when they get to them,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Sphere International is also arranging to purchase properties from two private owners for the 10-story downtown structure, which will have space for 100 hotel rooms, a 17,000-square foot banquet room and retail space on the ground floor. Rental units will occupy four floors and condominiums the top two floors.</p><p>The Mundy Street project is estimated to cost $11 million. Last October, the developers received a variance to go above the three-story limit and build a 97-room hotel. But little has happened since then, said Tom Zedolik, the township&#8217;s zoning and code enforcement officer.</p><p>&#8220;The next step would be submit a land development application,&#8221; Zedolik said, adding that document deals with things such as site work and storm water management. &#8220;It&#8217;s their move,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A property ownership issue is holding up construction of a $28 million hotel and conference center, shown here in an architectural rendering, proposed for the corner of South Main and West Northampton streets in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_WilkesBarreHotel-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>A property ownership issue is holding up construction of a $28 million hotel and conference center, shown here in an architectural rendering, proposed for the corner of South Main and West Northampton streets in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Courtesy of Facility Design &amp; Development, Ltd. </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Architect for WB project says issue should be solved by July 1</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Land ownership holdup delaying Wilkes-Barre hotel project, architect says