Momentum Magazine September 2019 Edition | Page 8

The Gateway to Scranton SLIBCO brings new life to historic Scranton site One of Scranton’s historic properties has gotten an upgrade for modern times, thanks to efforts made by the Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Company (SLIBCO), the economic development arm of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. The site of what is now the Mount Pleasant Corporate Center was acquired by SLIBCO in 2008, after it purchased the property from Keystone Concrete Block and Supply Co. While the site is now considered the “gateway” to the City of Scranton for travelers entering the city via the McDade Expressway, its origins date back to the late Nineteenth Century when it was home to the Mount Pleasant and Diamond coal breakers. The development of the Mount Pleasant Corporate Center began as a $7 million reclamation project revitalizing Scranton’s gateway, incorporating five building lots on 23 areas. The Center itself is a master-planned business campus, offering commercial and office opportunities near Scranton’s vibrant downtown area. Currently, the park is home to Geisinger Health Systems and Mount Pleasant Medical & Professional Center. A Sheetz gas station opened at the Center in early 2019. “This project is a true public/private partnership, reclaiming a brown field site, thanks to funding available from federal, state, local and private sources,” said Andy Skrip, vice president, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Strategically positioned along 7th Avenue and West Linden Street, park tenants enjoy ample parking, immediate highway access and corporate visibility from the McDade Expressway. One of Scranton’s two main thoroughfares into the city, the McDade Expressway is traveled by more than 8,000 vehicles daily. Mount Pleasant Corporate Center is located within a Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ). For-profit businesses located within Mount Pleasant Corporate Center that are less than eight years old and operating within targeted industries are eligible for a tax credit through the KIZ program. This property is also eligible for tax exemption under the Pennsylvania Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program. Mount Pleasant Corporate Center Timeline Mount Pleasant Corporate Center planning begins SLIBCO purchases land from Keystone Concrete Block and Supply Co. and development begins. SLIBCO begins highway improvements on Seventh Avenue, including road widening, lane configurations, traffic light changes and intersection upgrades. 2008 2010 2004 2005 Groundbreaking ceremony held 2009 Beacon Medical Real Estate purchases a 3.26-acre lot, constructs a two-story 30,000 square-foot office building Geisinger Health Systems announces that it will locate to the Mount Pleasant Corporate Center. 2012 2011 Valley Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery PC, Physicians Health Alliance, and LabCorp locate in the park. Randmar purchases Sheetz opens at parcel for the Mount Pleasant construction of Corporate Center. Sheetz. 2019 2018 City ordinance granted for new sidewalks. New sidewalks installed thanks to collaborative efforts by the City of Scranton, Sheetz, Geisinger Health Systems and SLIBCO.