From modest starts to transformative projects, several developers invested heavily to improve the downtowns in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.
The work isn’t done as more tasks remain in the pipeline, including a massive tower along Franklin Avenue and Mulberry Street in Scranton and an entertainment venue planned for Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.
Some of the major players provided an update on their ongoing ventures, discussed their reasons for targeting the region, and offered thoughts about the future of economic development in each downtown.
John Basalyga, president, JBAS Realty, Basalyga Hospitality
From rehabbing roofs to restoring properties, Basalyga founded Eastern Roofing Systems and later developed a reputation as one of the most prolific developers in Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond. Among his projects in downtown Scranton, he transformed the bankrupt Steamtown Mall into the Marketplace at Steamtown — which features a variety of tenants from educational to medical and recreational — and turned the former Tink’s property on Linden Street into A’tera and Sergei’s Live, an upscale restaurant and live music venue. Most recently, he turned his attention to downtown Wilkes-Barre by purchasing Stegmaier Mansion buildings and a former bank.
2026 blueprint
• Scranton Tower project: More than five years ago, Basalyga announced his intention to construct a 17-to-22-floor mixed-use tower at the former Red Carpet Inn location on Franklin Avenue, between Mulberry and Linden streets. While new construction hasn’t progressed, Basalyga noted preliminary plans — which call for a large retail space, a hotel with 110 rooms, apartments or condominiums, and a parking garage — continue to evolve.
“I don’t really have dates, or schedules, about when that would start, if it would start, but it’s still my desire to go forward with it,” Basalyga said.
Developer John Basalyga discusses The Marketplace at Steamtown on the upper level in the mall in Scranton Wednesday, August 27, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Developed John Basalyga discusses development and some of his properties in the 100 block of Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton on Tuesday, June 10. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Developer John Basalyga walks through Crunch Fitness in The Marketplace at Steamtown in Scranton Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Developer John Basalyga discusses The Marketplace at Steamtown on the upper level in the mall in Scranton Wednesday, August 27, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
• First National Bank – Wilkes-Barre: After closing on the purchase of the former First National Bank building on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre in April 2025, Basalyga plans to establish a food and entertainment venue. He hopes to start some cleanup and layout work within the next couple of months. Additionally, Basalyga expanded his reach in Wilkes-Barre by purchasing the Mary Stegmaier and Frederick Stegmaier Mansion properties on South Franklin Street after a constructive conversation with Mayor George Brown.
• Coney Island: Basalyga purchased the former Coney Island Lunch building and business at 515 Lackawanna Ave., Scranton, in December 2023 and hopes to finish renovations of the property by June. The revamp will include an ice cream spot next door to complement the Texas wieners. Basalyga acquired the original recipe as part of the sale agreement.
Why here?
Scranton: “I’m from here; God put me here for a reason. I enjoy doing it, I’m still able to do it, and I think I’ve gotten good at it. I have the stamina and a lot of times just the courage to get in there and keep pushing ahead. Downtown Scranton is the nucleus of our entire area. As I’ve said, if the nucleus is healthy and performing well, everything else in all the other towns — Clarks Summit, Moscow, Dickson City — will work, but that core needs to be strong. I do the same lap around the downtown every morning. I check out the jobs and love to see progress — it’s invigorating. My heart and soul is in the city.”
Wilkes-Barre: “One of the first things I saw were the Stegmaier mansions. I fell in love with the buildings and saw a lot of potential for them. That really got me started down there. If the administration is pro-business and pro-growth, that’s appealing to me. I think Scranton is a bit ahead, just because the downtown has been getting rebuilt over the last eight to 10 years, but I see Wilkes-Barre as an area of opportunity.”
What’s the goal?
“I myself see doing 134 Wyoming Ave. (the five-story former Dime Bank and Mellon Bank building). I want to put some more work into (the Marketplace at) Steamtown — clean that up a little bit on the inside, upgrade it a little bit. Whatever else God sends my way, I’m a man of faith and I think things happen for a reason. If it works in my favor, great; if it doesn’t, it was supposed to be that way. I’ll continue to do what I’m doing. My future plans are to keep hammering the downtown.”
Future outlook?
“If it wasn’t for the private investors, I don’t think people would look at Scranton as favorably as they do. I think our politicians need to get onboard and make it more conducive for the success of small businesses — cut expenses, cut the taxes, and shrink the government if they need to. They need to work with us. Everything keeps getting more expensive, and that’s the one thing that will stop the progress downtown. I never got a penny of grant money, I did it all myself, but it’s hard to make the numbers meet with the taxes so high. Ten years ago, when I bought Steamtown, I couldn’t get anybody to even show interest in the downtown; they would say anywhere but downtown. Now, everyone wants to be downtown. I probably have a couple dozen people who are looking for spaces downtown.”
Real estate developer Don Mammano looks out of the window towards downtown Scranton in the Peoples Security Bank & Trust Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Real estate developer Don Mammano poses for a photograph in the Peoples Security Bank & Trust in downtown Scranton Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The inside of the Peoples Security Bank & Trust on the bulding’s eighth floor Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Real estate developer Don Mammano looks out of the window towards downtown Scranton in the Peoples Security Bank & Trust Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Don Mammano, president, DFM Properties
From student housing rentals in the Hill Section to apartment buildings like the Miller Lofts on Wyoming Avenue, 317 Linden and 1100 Penn in and around downtown Scranton, Don Mammano continues to grow his portfolio. Among his recent acquisitions, Mammano purchased the PNC Bank building on Penn Avenue and the 10-story Peoples Security Bank building on North Washington Avenue.
2026 blueprint
• Peoples Security Bank: Mammano bought the historic building — the city’s first skyscraper — in January 2025 and aims to attract office/commercial tenants for the upper floors, with Peoples Security continuing to operate on the first and second floors.
“I’ve been actively having conversations with people inquiring about the building,” he said. “No one has moved in yet, but there are a couple prospects. I’m excited to bring the right tenants to the upper floors to really invigorate that corner and that building.”
• Restaurant at GAR Building: Mammano envisions that a new, high-end restaurant, operated by Rob Friedman, should open by the summer inside the GAR Building on the 300 block of Penn Avenue.
Mammano noted the property housed the Windsor Hotel and Saloon about a century ago.
“To be repurposed and brought back to its original use in a time when the downtown is booming once again, with the residential, nightlife, bars and restaurants, it’s going to be a class establishment occupying the whole first floor and the basement,” Mammano said.
• 1100 Penn and 1100 Oakford: His biggest project to date, Mammano completed 100 apartments among two neighboring properties on the outskirts of Scranton’s Pine Brook section.
“It was a tremendous opportunity to repurpose a gem of a building in the city,” he said.
Now, Mammano turns his attention to repurposing two buildings across the street at 1101 Penn Ave. into a combination of residential and commercial uses.
“My goal and vision for acquiring 1101 was to bring some good commercial occupants to that neighborhood,” he said. “Instead of 1100 Penn being on its own little island with people living there, I want them to be able to walk across the street to go to a coffee shop, a deli, a yoga studio.”
Why here?
“I was tracking the downtown in my early 20s and I bought my first building, 134 Franklin Ave., the old Hoban Restaurant Supply. I worked on getting the first floor rented and waited until I was ready to do my first downtown development to build 20 apartments upstairs. It was a stretch at that point but I was comfortable to get it completed, get it financed and get it occupied. Ever since then, I’ve been drawn to the buildings downtown. I can see through all the negatives and figure out a way to make them work.”
What’s the goal?
“If when I look at a building and I see that I can add value by repurposing it and making it better, one way or another, for the downtown and the greater good of Scranton, I’m going to continue doing that until there are no more buildings for me to renovate, redo or transform. I love taking old buildings, being creative, and thinking outside the box to repurpose them for today’s needs and wants. After 22 years, I’m still moving forward with that plan. Every time I do a project, people are always saying, ‘Who’s going to rent there? Who’s going to live there?’ One project at a time, I get it finished and move on to the next.”
Future outlook?
“Everything I’ve ever built, renovated or redone has been fully occupied, and I continue to see the demand. There is a push for restaurants, bars, nightlife and theater downtown. I think that’s a really integral part of the downtown working as a whole. For the last 10 to 15 years, a handful of us have really been focusing on building apartments in downtown Scranton. That’s great, but in order to really give that live, work and play lifestyle where you have the big-city feel in a small city, you need to have really nice things where people can walk a few blocks downtown and grab a cup of coffee, go to a restaurant or see a show.”
Real estate developer Charlie Jefferson poses for a photograph in Black and Brass Coffee on Penn Avenue in downtown Scranton Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Real estate developer Charlie Jefferson poses for a photograph in front of Black and Brass Coffee Roasting Company on Penn Avenue in downtown Scranton Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Real estate developer Charlie Jefferson poses for a photograph in Black and Brass Coffee on Penn Avenue in downtown Scranton Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Charles Jefferson, founder, Jefferson-Werner LLC; part-owner, Montage Mountain Resorts
In addition to transforming the Scranton ski resort, Jefferson repurposed several downtown Scranton buildings into apartment complexes — including 200 Adams, the Connell Lofts on North Washington Avenue and the Samters Lofts on Penn Avenue. Jefferson aims to bring more commercial tenants along with residents to the city through a project on the 300 block of Jefferson Avenue.
2026 blueprint
• 326 Adams: Jefferson strives to convert the former Scranton Counseling Center building on the 300 block of Adams Avenue into a facility modeled after the Easton Public Market.
“It’s an interesting concept that served them quite well downtown,” he said. “I think it would play well for Adams, particularly if we’re able to put together the project we’ve been working on for Jefferson.”
• 333 Jefferson: Jefferson purchased a property in the 300 block of Jefferson Avenue in May 2021 and announced plans to develop a six-story building with 125 apartment units and ground-floor retail, including a restaurant space with room for outdoor dining. Economic challenges have prevented the project from moving forward, but he hopes to see it come to fruition.
“There is a lot of potential in the downtown and these projects need support to be able to make them happen,” Jefferson said. “I think other places have figured it out; I think we’ll eventually get there.”
The lobby of 200 Adams apartment building in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The inside of a studio apartment at 200 Adams in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The inside of a studio apartment at 200 Adams in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The kitchen area in a two-bedroom apartment at 200 Adams in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The inside of a studio apartment at 200 Adams in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The lobby of 200 Adams apartment building in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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The lobby of 200 Adams apartment building in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
• Montage Mountain Hotel: Jefferson first announced plans for a nine-story, 152-room Montage Mountain Hotel & Conference Center in March 2021, which would be positioned midway on the mountain so skiers can readily ski in and out, accessing beginner and intermediate slopes on the upper half of the mountain and steeper, more difficult terrain on the lower part. Five years later, he expressed optimism about the project.
“I’ve had some very good conversations, over the last month or so, with different folks who are behind the project, who want to see it happen, and who are doing their best to try to move some grant money and other support on the state level as well as on the federal level,” Jefferson said. “I’m pretty hopeful there’s going to be some good news before the end of the year, if not sooner.”
Why here?
“I think it’s a great community. I think it’s very well located on the highway. The educational infrastructure between the University of Scranton and Marywood is a solid foundation for the area. I’ve always felt that it’s very attractive. You have access to New York in an hour 45 minutes, and access to Philadelphia. It’s centrally located with the airport 15 minutes away. The downtown is clean and it has potential.”
What’s the plan?
I’d like to see another 500 to 1,000 apartments downtown. Right now in Easton, they’re building hundreds of apartments in the downtown. They’ve been able to figure it out and I think if we can figure it out, we’ll see an economic boom like that and we’ll see apartment buildings being built.”
Future outlook?
“I think the restaurants are a plus. I know there are another couple that are on the horizon that should be opening soon. I’d like to see some more retail, but it’s one of these situations where you need to have people. You have to encourage people to come downtown, and there are a lot of ways to do that and a lot of ways that we could be working on that. I’d like to see things like First Friday, which was big a number of years ago and is starting to come back, expanded. I’d like to see a push from everybody to drive local traffic to local retailers and to the downtown. To do that, we all have to start working together.”
Casey and Adam Donahue and Nick Dye, partners, D&D Realty Group
D&D Realty Group started developing real estate with single- and double-unit apartments in Scranton. Their major projects in Scranton include Twelve, the 49,000-square-foot former SNB Plaza bank building at 501 Lackawanna Ave.; the Oppenheim Building, 401 Lackawanna Ave.; and the Steamtown Lofts, 430 Lackawanna Ave. In Wilkes-Barre, the group’s portfolio includes apartments at 116 S. Main St., Riverview West on West Market Street in a former PNC Bank building, the Allegheny Lofts on South Main Steet and Hampton Park on East Northampton Street.
2026 portfolio
• Golf and brews: D&D Realty brought 7 Under Golf & Social, a golf simulator and sports bar, to the Oppenheim earlier this year. The new business complements other retail tenants inside the property, including Picciocchi’s Pasta, which moved to downtown Scranton from Clarks Summit in December 2024.
• New developments: In Wilkes-Barre, a new coffee shop — Atomic Cowboy Coffee — is expected to open in the Allegheny Lofts by April or May; Nisk Real Estate opened a location in the Oppenheim on March 1; and Florology, which also has a location in Dallas, opened a space inside 27 E. Northampton St. at the beginning of the year.
• PPL Tower: D&D Realty purchased the 24-story Allentown building from PPL Electric Utilities in February 2025. D&D plans to convert the 450,000 square feet of space inside the building into a mixed-use community with 112 market-rate apartments. Amenities will include a fitness center, a golf simulator and 201 tenant parking spaces in an attached garage leased through the Allentown Parking Authority.
Why here?
Scranton: “My partners grew up in West Scranton, so they’re very familiar with the area,” Dye said. “We saw downtown Scranton as a tremendous opportunity and it’s still a tremendous opportunity. I think the biggest strength in downtown Scranton, and the neighboring area, is the number of quality developers. You have at least five quality developers all working together. It’s a healthy competition.”
Wilkes-Barre: “Downtown Wilkes-Barre has a tremendous amount of opportunity with the two schools and the growing residential population,” Dye said. “We’ve always been a big fan of the geographic footprint — the Susquehanna River is right there, which is beautiful. The downtown has a lot of assets going for it, it just needs more diverse investments from quality developers.”
What’s the plan?
“What Scranton is seeing that Wilkes-Barre does not have is the critical mass of all these new apartments and mixed-use developments that occurred over the last decade,” Dye said. “I think you may see some more homeownership in the downtown in the future. But I think it needs more of what’s already been working — more quality apartments and the commercial uses that complement those new residents. Wilkes-Barre needs the same, it’s just behind; it needs more apartments and it needs better cooperation with city leadership in terms of some of the programming downtown.”
Future outlook?
“I think the future is bright,” Dye said. “I grew up in Glenside, outside Philadelphia, in Montgomery County. Every time my family has come up here, year over year, they remark how it feels more like a primary metropolis. I think in a post-pandemic world with remote work, Northeastern Pennsylvania is a prime spot. We have great cost of living and a bunch of untapped assets that people are just starting to recognize. It’s really an up-and-coming area. We’re hoping John Basalyga can maybe do a couple more projects (in Luzerne County). The more he’s doing in Wilkes-Barre, the better, because he has a proven track record.”
Left to right, Adam Donahue, Nick Dye, and Casey Donahue at 7 Under Golf & Social in downtown Scranton on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Left to right, Adam Donahue, Nick Dye, and Casey Donahue at 7 Under Golf & Social in downtown Scranton on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Casey Donahue sits in front of Nick Dye, left, and Adam Donahue, right, at 7 Under Golf & Social in downtown Scranton on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
From left, brothers Adam and Casey Donahue and Nicholas Dye, the owners of D&D Realty Group, stand inside an apartment on the 12th floor on a property at 108 N. Washington Ave. in downtown Scranton. The 12-story building, called Twelve, is one of the tallest in the city’s downtown. (CHRISTOPHER DOLAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
From left, D&D Realty partner Nick Dye, project manager TJ Amico and partner Casey Donahue stand in May 2022 on newly installed steel beams on the roof of the Oppenheim Building in downtown Scranton. (CHRISTOPHER DOLAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
From left, Adam Donahue, Nicholas Dye and Casey Donahue of D&D Realty stand in an apartment in the developers’ Riverview West project in the PNC Bank Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre in Sept. 2019 (Warren Ruda / The Citizens’ Voice)
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Left to right, Adam Donahue, Nick Dye, and Casey Donahue at 7 Under Golf & Social in downtown Scranton on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)