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Retirement and Estate Planning: 2019

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A 600-acre Pittston Township parcel covering most of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport has the highest non-residential stormwater fee bill in the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority&#8217;s regional pollution reduction program, new records show.The fee is based on the amount of nonabsorbent impervious area, or IA, which includes parking lots, roads and the footprint of buildings.Due to the large size of the mostly paved and developed airport parcel, it rose to the top of the list with an IA of 7.5 million square feet.Properties with at least 7,000 square feet of IA are charged $4.80 per month for the first 6,999 square feet and $1.70 for each 1,000 feet above that measurement.The resulting bill for the airport parcel: $12,773. That&#8217;s $38,319 per quarter or $153,276 per year.Because the airport is listed under Luzerne County ownership, a 40 percent discount will be applied. The county is receiving this reduction because it has the burden of meeting additional pollution reduction requirements on its own that are not part of the regional program.County Manager C. David Pedri has said his administration is exploring county services that may be offered to further lower its stormwater bill for the airport and other county-owned parcels. The airport is jointly operated by Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.In total, the authority issued stormwater bills for approximately 12,875 non-residential parcels of varying sizes throughout the 32 municipalities participating in the regional plan.Parcels with the highest IAs were pinpointed through analysis of an authority billing report released last week following a Times Leader public information request.While the IAs won&#8217;t change unless owners successfully contest their calculations, bill amounts may be lowered if property owners complete projects to obtain credits, such as retention basin alterations or the installation of rain gardens to hold and purify stormwater.Authority stormwater division manager Jeff Colella said numerous commercial property owners are contemplating credit projects and partnerships that both lower their bills and help the entire regional plan group meet federal mandated targets to reduce sediment, phosphorus and nitrogen washing into local waterways, the Susquehanna River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay.Others in top fiveRanking second in the stormwater billing is a 130.63-acre parcel housing the Lowe&#8217;s Distribution Center on CenterPoint Boulevard in the CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park in Jenkins Township.Most of this parcel &#8212; 80.24 percent &#8212; is consumed by parking, access roads and the distribution center itself, which measures 1.45 million square feet, according to authority and county assessment records.Owned by North Carolina-based Lowe&#8217;s Home Centers Inc., the parcel has an IA of nearly 4.8 million square feet, equating to a bill of $8,146 per month, or $24,439 per quarter.However, a 15 percent credit will automatically be added to this parcel and others that are outside &#8220;urbanized areas&#8221; within each of the 32 participating municipalities. Urbanized areas are based on U.S. Census data and a driver of which municipalities must meet the pollution mandate.The third highest fee is for a 264-acre parcel that holds most of the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino in Plains Township, with an IA of 4.4 million square feet. The monthly stormwater bill: $7,547.Like many other large operations, the casino complex includes more than one parcel. The one ranking third covers the lion&#8217;s share of the property, including the casino, parking area, race track and stables, county GIS mapping shows. The casino is owned by Downs Racing LP.Fourth on the list: an 87.47-acre parcel containing most of the Wyoming Valley Mall and its expansive parking lots in Wilkes-Barre Township.Owned by Philadelphia-based PR Wyoming Valley Limited Partnership, its IA is 2.87 million square feet, for a stormwater fee of $4,876 per month, or $14,629 quarterly.Number five in the tally is the new Adidas distribution center at the Hanover Ridge Trade Center in Hanover Township, with an IA of 2.7 million square feet and a monthly stormwater bill totaling $4,654.The property is owned by NP Wilkes Barre Building II LLC, which is affiliated with Missouri-based NorthPoint Development, the company that has purchased and attracted major companies to mine-scarred land along the new South Valley Parkway.The other two NorthPoint parcels adjacent to the Adidas site housing Chewy.com and Patagonia Inc. also are among the parcels with more than 1 million square feet of IA.Remaining top 20Records show another 32 non-residential parcels have been billed for more than 1 million square feet of IA.While the total IA is listed, some of the stormwater fee billing amounts may factor in credits, such as the one for those outside urbanized areas.The occupants of the remaining 15 parcels in the top 20 along with their quarterly bill amounts and some other details, according to multiple records:&#8226; TJ Maxx &#8212; 100 acres on Sathers Drive in Pittston Township owned by Massachusetts-based NBC Seventh Realty Corp., 2.27 million square feet IA, $9,809.&#8226; Chewy.com &#8212; 50.68 acres on New Commerce Boulevard in Hanover Township owned by NP Wilkes Barre Building I LLC (NorthPoint), 1.79 million square feet IA, $9,123.&#8226; State Correctional Institution at Dallas, Jackson Township &#8212; 1,194 acres on Shady Hill Road in Jackson Township owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1.7 million square feet IA, $5,213.Colella said the state is not exempt from the stormwater fee, with the exception of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation roads (but not buildings).&#8226; Sears Logistics/Terminal Freight Handling building &#8212; 91 acres in Hanover Township owned by California-based 1055 Hanover LLC, 1.7 million square feet IA, $8,735.&#8226; Rail lines, roads and structures identified as Coxton Yards &#8212; 163.8 acres in Duryea owned by Port Clinton-based Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Rail Road, 1.7 million square feet IA, $7,363.&#8226; Lord &amp; Taylor &#8212; 61.22 acres on Highland Park Boulevard in Wilkes-Barre Township owned by Connecticut-based LT Propco LLC, 1.6 million square feet IA, $8,171.&#8226; Commercial distribution property &#8212; 104.46 acres in Pittston Township owned by 460 Research Drive LLC, 1.58 million square feet IA, $6,814. This company shares an address with Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, and the address is tied to Mericle&#8217;s CenterPoint East development.&#8226; Mine-scarred &#8220;Wanamie Lands&#8221; &#8212; 1,538 acres in Newport Township owned by the local nonprofit Earth Conservancy, 1.56 million square feet IA, $4,714.The sanitary authority said the site includes a composting facility and an extensive road network. Unpaved roads must be considered IA, authority representatives have said.&#8226; Home Depot distribution center &#8212; 50.85 acres in Pittston Township owned by 300 Enterprise Way LLC, which also is affiliated with Mericle, 1.5 million square feet IA, $7,801.&#8226; Mohegan Sun Arena, including parking area &#8212; 50.81 acres in Wilkes-Barre Township owned by the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority, 1.5 million square feet IA, $7,608.&#8226; Former site of the Techneglas facility &#8212; 225.55 acres in Jenkins Township owned by Radnor, Pennsylvania-based IDC Property LP, 1.48 million square feet IA, $6,395.Although the structure was demolished to make way for a new speculative bulk distribution facility announced last fall, the sanitary authority said the foundation and building pad remain and are considered IA.Colella said the authority will recalculate the IA if the building footprint changes or landscaping is added to provide more green space.&#8226; Luzerne County Community College &#8212; 116.06 acres in Nanticoke housing most of the main campus and parking area, 1.46 million square feet IA, $7,668.&#8226; Kimberly Clark facility &#8212; 48.95 acres on CenterPoint Boulevard in Jenkins Township owned by Chicago-based RT CenterPoint Blvd. LLC, 1.46 million square feet IA, $7,434.&#8226; Pennsy Supply quarry &#8212; 206.66 acres in Jenkins Township owned by Harrisburg-based Pennsy Supply Inc. that includes quarry equipment, 1.3 million square feet IA, $5,746.&#8226; Heather Highlands mobile home park &#8212; 77.75 acres on Main Street in Jenkins Township owned by New Jersey-based UMH Properties Inc., 1.3 million square feet IA, $6,700.Shopping center and hospitalOther properties with more than 1 million square feet of IA include several more CenterPoint buildings and individual parcels housing most or all of three shopping areas in Wilkes-Barre Township: the East End Centre owned by Moosic-based Joe Amato East End Centre LP, the Arena Hub Plaza owned by Wilkes-Barre-based TFP Limited and the Wilkes-Barre Market Place owned by Arizona-based Sunshine Market Inc.Also in this top category is the 132-acre parcel containing most of the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township &#8212; a property owned by NPW Medical Center of NEPA Inc.<style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_WBScrantonInternationalAirport2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport. Butch Comegys | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_WBScrantonInternationalAirport2.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport. Butch Comegys | Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_WBScrantonInternationalAirport2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A traveler is seen with his luggage outside the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. One of the facility&#8217;s land parcels has the area&#8217;s highest commercial stormwater fee bill. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_WBScrantonInternationalAirport2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>A traveler is seen with his luggage outside the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. One of the facility&#8217;s land parcels has the area&#8217;s highest commercial stormwater fee bill. </caption1><photoCredit1>Butch Comegys | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Top 20 commercial stormwater fee payers revealed</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Jennifer Learn-Andesjandes@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</shirttailMeta></div>

Big bills for businesses: Top commercial stormwater payers revealed