125130962_web1_lccf01

Family of Luzerne County prison inmate notes anniversary of his death

125129452_web1_DOWNTOWN-BIZ

Downtown business group discusses ways to come back after pandemic

WILKES-BARRE TWP. &mdash; Bob Evans restaurant has closed and a few miles away, a new Burger King will soon be built.
				Tom Zedolik, Wilkes-Barre Township zoning and code enforcement officer, Friday said the former Ski Shack building at Route 309 and Blackman Street and four residential houses on Company Row have been demolished and site preparation work has begun to construct a new Burger King restaurant.
				&ldquo;We have the building drawing for the new Burger King and that project is definitely moving forward,&rdquo; Zedolik said.
				Over on Schechter Drive, the Bob Evans restaurant has closed and all signs have been removed.
				Zedolik said the township planning commission will meet Monday, June 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the municipal meeting.He said the public can attend and offer comment. Everyone at the meeting must wear protective face masks, Zedolik said.
				Zedolik also said that land development for the Turkey Hill, to be built across Blackman Street from where the new Burger King is going, will begin later this summer with demolition of existing buildings on the site.
				&ldquo;We starting to see some of these projects moving forward,&rdquo; Zedolik said.
				Other projects Zedolik expects to begin/resume this summer are the demolition of the McDonald&rsquo;s restaurant on Route 309 and construction of a new building on the site. He also said work on the former Wilkes-Barre Township High School project that will concert the building to apartment is also slated to begin.
				In mid-May, Zedolik announced that Sordoni Construction Co., contractor for the job, told him that Panera Bread has decided to hold off building its new restaurant on the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons site until the fall or possibly until spring 2021.
				&ldquo;The project is on hold,&rdquo; Zedolik said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll believe it when I see it under construction.&rdquo;
				Gov. Tom Wolf authorized construction to resume on May 1 in Pennsylvania, and the much anticipated project off Mundy Street was expected to begin May 4.
				Wilkes-Barre Township Commons was hit hard by the June 2018 tornado. All the buildings were condemned and demolished. The new plan to rebuild the plaza has been submitted and approved.
				Sordoni Construction Co. placed a work trailer on the site in late April and two large pieces of heavy equipment remain on-site.
				Zedolik said he has not been contacted by Urban Edge Properties of New Jersey, the developer that wants to build a free-standing building to house a Panera Bread restaurant with a drive-thru, plus a new strip of retail spaces.
				&ldquo;The permits are approved,&rdquo; Zedolik said. &ldquo;But we haven&rsquo;t been told when construction will begin.&rdquo;
				Zedolik said he thinks the delay in starting the much-anticipated project is pandemic-related. He said it seems everyone wants to see when they would be allowed to open before starting construction.
				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.

Work begins on site of new Burger King; Bob Evans closes doors