A developer wants to build a three-story building with multiple apartments in Clarks Summit.
Brick Ave. LLC of Scranton proposed constructing a 38-foot building with 25 apartments at 423 Center St. The plans, which were submitted last month, call for the current two-story building, totaling 10,000 square feet, to be demolished and the nearly 14,000-square-foot building constructed on the current lot.
The plans also include 50 parking spaces, covered patios, sidewalks, landscaping, a grass area, utility connections and stormwater management. It would be accessed from Center Street.
The developer has an agreement to purchase the property, and an online real estate listing for the property lists a pending sale.
The Pennsylvania Department of State lists the principals of Brick Ave. LLC as Ronald and Margaret Parasole. Ronald Parasole said Friday he wants to create luxury one- and two-bedroom apartments primarily geared toward residents 55 and older who want to downsize without leaving the community.
“These homes will feature modern amenities and professional management, giving seniors and long-term locals a high-quality housing option right in Clarks Summit,” Parasole said in an email.
The site, which is zoned as town mixed residential, is located in a flood plain. The project would be built above the flood plain and won’t have any impact on existing water courses, according to the plans. The project requires an erosion and sedimentation pollution control plan approved by the Lackawanna County Conservation District and the borough, as well as permits from the conservation district, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the county Regional Planning Commission.
The current building, constructed in 1975, has been owned by Two Thirty Lackawanna Avenue Inc. since 1983, according to county property records.
United Cerebral Palsy of Northeastern Pennsylvania has operated its Children’s Center at the location since the mid-1980s, CEO Sarah Drob said. The building houses the organization’s early intervention program and Lekotek, a learn-through-play program for children with disabilities and their families. Two people work in the building.
A private day care center also operated in the building but moved out earlier this year, she said.
The Scranton-based organization decided to list the property for sale last fall because the building was too big for the group’s needs, Drob said.
“We were able to serve multiple children and their families throughout the years,” she said. “We’re grateful for that opportunity to have been able to do that. As things change and the needs change, we’re just going to change with that.”
In the years the Children’s Center has operated in the building, Drob said the organization’s early intervention services shifted to being provided in the community. The day care center also went from being run by United Cerebral Palsy to being privately run and renting from the organization.
“Over time it’s just become too big and there’s not as many tenants,” she said.
The building, which has a stream behind it, also flooded multiple times over the years, Drob said. The water mostly hit the basement but sometimes rose to the building’s first floor. The most notable flooding took place in September 2023, which she said took a while to recover from.
The building’s employees and programs will move out when the sale of the building closes, Drob said. The organization has not determined where they will relocate.
“The supports and services will continue, they will just happen somewhere else,” she said.
Borough Manager Jennifer Basalyga said the site’s proximity to the Summit Square Shopping Center and the walkability of the immediate area were attractive features for the developer. The borough council granted conditional use to the property in March.
The borough’s planning commission will hear the plans Wednesday.