126111545_web1_TTL012820Budget2

Wilkes-Barre budget balance shows expected drop

126110686_web1_AAA-TREE-2

AAA: Early decorating could make your Christmas tree a fire hazard

A company planning to construct five commercial/industrial buildings totaling 5.5 million square feet on mine-scarred land in the Hazleton area has asked Luzerne County Council to approve a real estate tax break.
				It would be the largest private development project in the county, the company asserts.
				The request is up for discussion at Tuesday&rsquo;s virtual council work session, with a vote required at a future meeting for a break to take effect.
				Hazleton Creek Commerce Center Holdings LLC is seeking the break under Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance, or LERTA, legislation intended to spark development in areas local governments have deemed distressed.
				The 10-year breaks apply only to new construction, not the land, and can be customized by taxing bodies to provide less than 100% forgiveness on the structures for the entire decade.
				According to the agenda submission:
				Hazleton Creek plans to invest $500 million in the project, which will involve five buildings ranging from 550,000 to 2.2 million square feet. 
				The 393-acre project site in both Hazleton and Hazle Township had been heavily mined for coal and is bordered by state Routes 309 and 924. It is the largest undeveloped tract in the city.
				This area had been both surface and deep mined at times from the early 19th century until the 1960s, leaving numerous strip pits and spoil piles. It also contains two landfills, including the previous City of Hazleton Landfill.
				All three other taxing bodies &mdash; the township, city and Hazleton Area School District &mdash; have approved a tax break for the project.
				Another entity, Hazleton Creek Properties LLC, had entered into a consent order/agreement with the city and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2005 to remediate and reclaim the property and make it suitable for commercial development.
				To obtain liability release and proceed with the new commercial project, the developer must complete all outstanding DEP remediation obligations.
				The property is serviced by Norfolk Southern Railroad and close to Interstate 81.
				&rdquo;The location of this property provides great opportunity to warehousing and manufacturing companies that need access to the experienced and determined work force of the area, low cost utilities and interstate highway access,&rdquo; the company said.
				As it stands, the six undeveloped tracts at the site generate a total $15,700 in real estate tax revenue for the county, municipalities and school district. Hazleton Creek Properties LLC owns four parcels, while the remaining two are owned by Natural Coal Co. and Pagnotti Enterprises Inc.
				Taxing bodies would continue to collectively receive that $15,700 on the land throughout the break.
				The developer projects total real estate tax payments will range from $3.5 million to $6 million annually after the LERTA expires.
				Council&rsquo;s work session follows a 6 p.m. voting meeting, with attendance instructions posted under council&rsquo;s public meetings online link at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/1279/Public-Meetings-Online" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">luzernecounty.org</a>.
				Tax diversion
				In a different program, the proposed alteration of an existing real estate tax diversion for a Pittston area townhouse project is on council&rsquo;s voting agenda Tuesday, which means a decision may be made that night.
				Prior county commissioners and other taxing bodies had granted the Tax Incremental Financing diversion, or TIF, for the Stauffer Pointe development in 2008.
				Unlike tax breaks, buyers of new properties constructed in a TIF zone pay real estate taxes as usual. But instead of keeping that revenue, taxing bodies agree to temporarily use the money to repay an infrastructure loan needed to create the development. The premise is that taxing bodies will reap the benefits of development in former blighted areas once the loan is repaid.
				In this case, taxing bodies agreed to give up the revenue until a $4 million infrastructure loan is satisfied.
				Representing Stauffer Pointe Development Group, LLC, local Attorney Angelo C. Terrana, Jr. has said the change his group is requesting &mdash; an expansion of the TIF zone &mdash; will help taxing bodies by accelerating repayment of the loan and ending the diversion sooner.
				The project involves 184 units &mdash; 144 in Pittston Township and 40 in Pittston city.
				Only the Pittston Township portion was included in the TIF because the developers believed that was sufficient to meet needs at that time. However, the construction is proceeding in both municipalities, and the pace of development slowed overall with the housing recession and, more recently, the coronavirus, Terrana has said.
				If Pittston is added to the TIF &mdash; the request now before county council &mdash; Stauffer Point Development projects the $4 million loan will be repaid by 2032, or five years sooner, the agenda submission said. A TIF remains in effect until the loan is repaid, Terrana has said.
				Overall, the development is expected to yield $619,791 in annual school, county and municipal tax revenue by 2032, with the county&rsquo;s portion estimated at $109,900.
				A TIF was warranted because an abandoned Lehigh Valley Railroad line cut through the development site, separating the two sections and leaving a 20-foot drop-off, officials have said.
				In addition to expenses building the residential units, the developer must pay more than $2 million in site development costs not covered by the TIF, Terrana has said.

Tax break for massive Hazleton area commercial project on Luzerne County Council agenda