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WILKES-BARRE TWP. &mdash; The new Panera Bread building is rising out of the ground in the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons off of Mundy Street.
				Thomas Zedolik, the township zoning and code enforcement officer, Wednesday said Sordoni Construction Co. has put up the structural steel to frame out the new building. Zedolik said the timeline for completion of the building is unknown.
				The new Panera Bread will have a drive thru and will be a separate structure. A group of retail store spaces will also be built, but that part of the project has not yet begun.
				Wilkes-Barre Township Commons was hard-hit by the June 2018 tornado, resulting in all the buildings being damaged extensively and condemned and demolished.
				The developer, Urban Edge Properties of New Jersey, has not indicated when construction of the strip mall portion will begin.
				Zedolik said the newly constructed Dollar Tree store, located adjacent to the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons, will open soon.
				&ldquo;I will do a final inspection on Friday,&rdquo; Zedolik said. &ldquo;And then a certificate of occupancy will be issued.&rdquo;
				Developer Robert Tamburro said the building contains 12,500 square feet and it could be open by Christmas.
				Tamburro said the project is the last piece of the post-June 2018 tornado rebuilding for Tamburro&rsquo;s company, TFP Limited, which owns the Arena Hub Plaza and other properties along Mundy Street.
				&ldquo;We are excited that Dollar Tree will be opening soon and we are finally putting the tornado event in our rear-view mirror,&rdquo; Tamburro said.
				Tamburro also said that he is close to announcing the developer(s) for the vacant lot where Ashley Furniture once stood. He said there are &ldquo;multiple&rdquo; parties interested in the site.
				Speaking of furniture stores, Zedolik said American Freight will be opening a furniture outlet in the East End Center. Zedolik said the store will hold a soft opening this week and could open to the public next week.
				Zedolik also said the planned Planet Fitness center is still expected to open next to Sam&rsquo;s Club and Kohl&rsquo;s Department Store. Zedolik said the project has been delayed because of a lease the owner had with a Halloween store that will expire soon.
				&ldquo;Planet Fitness couldn&rsquo;t go in there until the lease expired,&rdquo; Zedolik said. &ldquo;Start of the project could be delayed until 2021.&rdquo;
				Zedolik gave an updates on a few other active projects in the township.
				The new Burger King at the intersection of Blackman Street and Route 309 is progressing, as is the construction of the new McDonald&rsquo;s on Route 309.
				However, Zedolik said there is no news to report on the planned Turkey Hill to be built across Blackman Street from where Burger King is building.
				The new Turkey Hill was to include a full convenience store, a fast food restaurant with a brand partner still to be named, a car wash and fuel stations.
				Zedolik said he hasn&rsquo;t heard from Turkey Hill in weeks.

New WB Township Panera Bread building rising out of the ground