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WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Brenda Clarke is concerned.So concerned she wanted to voice her opinion Tuesday to the Luzerne County Zoning and Planning Committee on a variance to rezone the former Moonlite Drive-In back to a business zone.The drive-in, on Shoemaker Avenue in West Wyoming, has been closed for more than 30 years. Last month, Eric Symeon applied to county board for a use variance for the 1190 Shoemaker Ave. site to begin using it as a drive-in movie theater once again.Clarke, who lives across from one of the four Shoemaker Street entrances into the former drive-in, said she has lived there her whole life and remembers what it was like during the drive-in&#8217;s heyday.&#8220;But times have changed,&#8221; she said to the board member Dave Williams, Chairman Leon Schuster and Solicitor Michael Butera. &#8220;I&#8217;m happy, but I&#8217;m sad.&#8221;After almost an hour of testimony from several neighbors, the board decided to grant the variance to Symeon and his consultant, Carmen Barletta, both of Exeter.Barletta explained the pair&#8217;s plans to keep traffic from blocking the road, including using a flagging team during operating hours, and the signs they will post to keep people from being a disturbance to neighbors.Throughout the hearing, several borough residents, including Ardrienne Parnuski and Jason Azorovian, asked the duo about their future plans. Barletta said everything, including the final purchase of the West Wyoming-owned lot, hinged on them getting the variance.West Wyoming Councilman Daniel Grescavage presented the board, for the second month in a row, a letter from council telling the committee council had no objections to the plan.Though the board allowed the variance, it came with conditions &#8212; a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation highway occupancy must be done; the concession stand and ticket booth, which Symeon plans on renovating, must be renovated to state code; movies must be legitimate and not bootlegged or adult films; and it must be a single-screen theatre.Should Symeon plan to add another screen, another zoning hearing must be held.Both Symeon and Barletta were breathing a sigh of relief after the board, granted them the variance.&#8220;I hope (to have it running) by this season,&#8221; Symeon said about his desire for a May opening.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Melanie Mizenkommizenko@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</shirttailMeta></div>

Reopening of Moonlite Drive-In one step closer to being a reality