PITTSTON, LUZERNE CO. (WOLF) \u2014 Momentum is building in Downtown Pittston tonight as a longtime grocery store makes way for what city leaders call a major step forward. Demolition began Monday morning at the former Quinn\u2019s Supermarket site, clearing the path for a new parking structure and mixed-use development aimed at supporting the city\u2019s growing downtown. <\/p>\n
Heavy machinery rolled in early Monday morning as demolition officially began at the former Quinn\u2019s Supermarket site in Downtown Pittston.<\/p>\n
The space will soon be transformed into a multi-level parking structure, expected to include three to four levels of parking, with new retail space underneath and room for future office or residential use.<\/p>\n
City leaders say the project is a key companion to the Market and Main Theater project planned just across the street.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hope is actually more than a hope\u2014I\u2019m confident. And as a matter of fact, I\u2019ll do something most elected officials rarely do. I will give you a guarantee that in the next couple years, there\u2019ll be a supermarket here on this site to replace what was here,” said Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo.<\/p>\n
Mayor Lombardo says Downtown Pittston already has a strong nightlife scene, but this project aims to expand activity beyond the evening hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a time in the history of the city when it was booming\u2014where the downtown was very occupied by people and residentials. So, we\u2019re trying to get back to that part, and so far, it\u2019s really proven to be true,” said Lombardo.<\/p>\n
He points to significant growth among younger residents as a sign the city is moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen significant growth\u2014double-digit growth\u2014in the 25 to 35 age group. That\u2019s really important. That\u2019s one of our target groups to bring downtown, and I believe this project will bring additional amenities,” said Lombardo.<\/p>\n
Before construction begins, the city will conduct subsurface investigations to ensure the site is safe, given the area\u2019s mining history. Leaders hope to begin construction sometime next year, while continuing to secure funding without raising taxes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wrecking ball being here today \u2014 while there\u2019s sadness attached to it because we all have stories. My younger brother who worked here in the supermarket, so there were memories of my childhood coming here and shopping. But I think it\u2019s a move to the future,” said Lombardo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PITTSTON, LUZERNE CO. (WOLF) \u2014 Momentum is building in Downtown Pittston tonight as a longtime grocery store makes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":103538,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":{"0":"post-103537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scranton","8":"tag-scranton","9":"tag-scranton-headlines","10":"tag-scranton-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}