Two different developers have proposed townhouses in two different parts of Scranton: in West Side and Montage Mountain.
One proposal would construct 14 townhouses on the vacant, former Morse school site in the Tripp Park section of Scranton.
The other proposal would construct 24 townhouses on Montage Mountain Road near the Glenmaura community.
Both proposals initially were scheduled to go before the Scranton Zoning Board on Wednesday, July 8, according to public notices of the board agenda published in late June and early July in The Times-Tribune. The meeting is being rescheduled for July 29 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, city Planner Don King said.
Here’s a look at each proposal:
Former Morse school site
Reuvain Handelsman of Scranton, a “contract purchaser” of the vacant, former school property at 1501 Farr St. at North Sumner Avenue, seeks a special exception to construct 14 townhouse units there, according to the plans on file with the Zoning Board. Handelsman believes he could comfortably fit 14 townhouses with parking on the nearly 1-acre lot. He thinks eight townhouses would be allowed as-is, and if he were to subdivide the lot, he could build six more. He’s requesting approval for 14 townhouses without having to subdivide.
Named after the inventor of Morse code, the school opened in 1906 and went from five to 16 classrooms in 1935. It closed in 1964 because of building damage from a mine subsidence. The district demolished the building after a fire in 1977. In recent decades, the district tried to sell the property but received no takers or received offers that were below appraised values. A developer’s proposal in 2010 that called for townhouses on the lot never panned out. At 310 feet long and 136 feet wide, the lot sits high above Farr Street. The property has a large, long retaining wall along Farr Street that reaches about 20 feet or more at its tallest point above the sidewalk. North Sumner Avenue slopes up from Farr Street to the Manila Place alley paralleling Farr Street. The property is at grade level along the Manila Place alley.
Scranton School Board President Tom Borthwick said Thursday, “The district is more than happy that there is interest in this property. We would love to see it back on the tax rolls.”
A rendereing of townhouses proposed for 1501 Farr St. in West Scranton at the long-vacant site of the former Morse School . (IMAGE FROM SCRANTON ZONING BOARD APPLICATION)
Montage Mountain
RUKH Development LLC of South Plainfield, New Jersey seeks variance from height requirements to build four, 6-unit, 3-story townhouse buildings on undeveloped land on Montage Mountain Road near Glenmaura National Boulevard.
The property is owned by the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, according to the application. It proposes “multi-family apartment complexes with associated clubhouse and site, parking and stormwater facilities.”
The property is in a planned recreation zone where townhouses are permitted, but the zoning ordinance restricts building height to 25 feet. The applicant seeks a variance for building heights of 40 feet to be able to provide “under-building garages.” The land contains extensive areas of steep slopes that limit areas for development, parking, stormwater and other facilities.
A rendereing of townhouses proposed for Montage Mountain Road in Scranton. (IMAGE FROM SCRANTON ZONING BOARD APPLICATION)
A large, long retaining wall of the former Samuel Morse School property on Farr Street in West Scranton on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. The Scranton School District tried to auction off the nearly-1-acre property, but got no takers. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A corner of a large retaining wall of the former Samuel Morse School property on Farr Street in West Scranton on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. The Scranton School District tried to auction off the nearly-1-acre property, but got no takers. The block wall in foreground is a neighboring property. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A corner of a large retaining wall of the former Samuel Morse School property on Farr Street at North Sumner Avenue in West Scranton on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. The Scranton School District tried to auction off the nearly-1-acre property, but got no takers. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The vacant lot and a retaining wall of the former Samuel Morse School property along North Sumner Avenue in West Scranton on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. The Scranton School District tried to auction off the nearly-1-acre property, but got no takers. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The vacant lot of the former Samuel Morse School property along Manila Place in West Scranton on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. The Scranton School District tried to auction off the nearly-1-acre property, but got no takers. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
An aerial view shows the vacant lot of the former Samuel Morse School property at Farr Street and North Sumner Avenue in West Scranton Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Samuel F.B. Morse (No. 20) School, the “home of champions,” captured the Scranton School District Eighth-Grade Touch Football League title. Over a four-year span from 1949-52, Morse teams won 14 championships. First row, from left: Robert “Pop” Jones, superintendent Scranton Bureau of Recreation; Frederick Bellucci, co-captain; Frank Fornaszewski; Adam Fornaszewski; Ronald Kulick; and Thomas Williams. Second row: Donald Jonas, co-captain; John Walsh; Jerome Walsh; and Andrew Shevak. Third row: William T. Hughes, school pricipal; John Migliori; Maurice Barber; Frank Klemitus; John Sumilas; and Charles Goffer. Fourth row: Virgil Argenta, Frank DeStefano, James O’Malley, Robert Kovach and William Kovach. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO)
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A large, long retaining wall of the former Samuel Morse School property on Farr Street in West Scranton on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. The Scranton School District tried to auction off the nearly-1-acre property, but got no takers. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)