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Kingston making the most of its assets

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Jonathan’s Restaurant a labor of love

WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; Not far from Wilkes-Barre City&#8217;s downtown, a lot of economic activity has been going on in Wilkes-Barre Township.When the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Avenue opened, the surrounding area saw an increase in retail stores, restaurants and hotels.And then an EF-2 tornado ripped through Mundy Street, causing millions of dollars in damage and as long road to recovery.But nearly one year later, many of the affected businesses are back. The Arena Hub Plaza has seen all of its stores and restaurants reopen. But nearby, the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons faces a major rebuild that has begun with the demolition of the buildings that were so severely damaged, they were condemned.But just a couple of weeks ago, good news was spewing forth from the township. A new hotel, several restaurants and a Turkey Hill, complete with a car wash, are all coming to the township soon..The new Turkey Hill will be located at the corner of Blackman Street and Route 309, according to Thomas Zedolik, township zoning and code enforcement officer.That news came as the Times Leader also learned more about plans for a new hotel, a Chick-fil-A restaurant, and the rebirth of Panera Bread in the township nearly a year after that chain eatery&#8217;s longtime location was shattered by last June&#8217;s tornado.Zedolik said he spoke with an attorney representing Panera Bread who informed him that the plans have changed for the location of its store in the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons, off of Mundy Street.Panera planned to occupy a free-standing building to be built on the site by Urban Edge Properties of New Jersey, on the right side of the site. Zedolik said Panera now wants to locate on the left side of the property, near where the former store was, and add drive-thru service.&#8220;Panera will have to submit new plans to and go through the approval process again,&#8221; Zedolik said. &#8220;This could take up to two months before anything can start up there.&#8221;Urban Edge will also build another building that will offer retail space for several businesses.Zedolik said a new Residence Inn also will be built near the Mohegan Sun Arena on Highland Park Boulevard. He said it will be a four-story, 110-room hotel that will face Interstate 81.&#8220;The land development plan is not finalized,&#8221; Zedolik said.Zedolik said the property is owned by Singh Realty. He said two other adjacent parcels are being sold by Singh Realty.Zedolik also said he spoke with the contractor that will be re-formatting the former Lucky&#8217;s Sports Bar into a full-service Chick-fil-A. Zedolik said the contractor estimated that the project should take 16 weeks to complete.The new Turkey Hill plan calls for existing buildings at the busy intersection &#8212; which once housed a repair garage, a bar and other businesses &#8212; along with three residential homes &#8212; were purchased by Turkey Hill&#8217;s new parent company, U.K.-based E.G. Group.&#8220;Everything will be demolished and a new Turkey Hill will be built, with a car wash,&#8221; Zedolik said.Cindy Rantanen, vice president of brands and public relations for E.G. America, said the company has the property under contract. She said five properties were purchased from four different owners and the site measures three acres.&#8220;We&#8217;re going to do a full new rebuild there,&#8221; Rantanen said. &#8220;We are doing our due diligence and the site work must be completed. Our plan is to begin construction in spring 2020.&#8221;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.&#8220;We will build a beautiful new store there for our customers,&#8221; Rantanen said.Two other buildings on Mundy Street, owned by TFP Limited, have been demolished and two new buildings will be built. Robert Tamburro, trustee/general partner of TFP, said one or possibly two restaurants will be part of the 6,336 square-foot building to be built closest to Mundy Street next to the AT&amp;T store.Tamburro said a second building of 10,000 square-feet will house office space.&#8220;We are excited about constructing two new buildings in the Arena Hub Plaza area,&#8221; Tamburro said.TFP Limited has also purchased the former site of Ashley Furniture. Tamburro did not say what the pans are for that land.In a recent Op-Ed in the Times Leader, Gov. Tom Wolf talked about the after-math of last June&#8217;s tornado.&#8220;This was costly to businesses, which faced damage to property and lost revenue due to disrupted operations,&#8221; Wolf said. &#8220;It was costly to local governments, which had to support emergency crews and make repairs to roads, bridges and other infrastructure.As a result, when I toured some of the damage, I found myself repeating, &#8220;I&#8217;m sorry for your loss. There&#8217;s not much we can do,&#8221; Wolf said. &#8220;It was heartbreaking.&#8221;But despite all the damage and heartbreak, there was a story that stood out when the tornado hit.Joe Stager was working at the Wilkes-Barre Township Barnes &amp; Noble in the Arena Hub Plaza when an EF-2 tornado formed and barreled right through the store.Stager said the wind was so powerful, he thought the roof might collapse. While fearing for his own life, Joe still shielded two of his fellow employees from flying glass and other debris by hiding them under an anchored information desk.Stager covered them as the tornado ripped through the building. The wind left substantial damage to cars in the parking lot and the store itself, but Stager&#8217;s quick thinking and selflessness kept his colleagues safe.For his heroic efforts, Stager was honored recently by the local chapter of the American Red Cross as one of its &#8220;hometown heroes.&#8221;<style>
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<div class="neCaption">These stores in the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons off of Mundy Street were so severely damaged, they were condemned and demolished. Urban Edge Properties of New Jersey will rebuild on the site.</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_PA-Gov-tornado-tour-5CMYK.jpg</photo0><caption0>These stores in the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons off of Mundy Street were so severely damaged, they were condemned and demolished. Urban Edge Properties of New Jersey will rebuild on the site.</caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader File Photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Bill O&#8217;Boyleboboyle@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</shirttailMeta></div>

It’s been a long road to recovery after last year’s tornado