{"id":272755,"date":"2026-08-26T19:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T19:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/272755\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T19:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T19:38:09","slug":"townhouses-laundromat-set-for-former-heils-place-site-in-scranton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/272755\/","title":{"rendered":"Townhouses, laundromat set for former Heil’s Place site in Scranton"},"content":{"rendered":"

The addition of eight townhouses will provide a new housing opportunity in Scranton\u2019s Hill Section.<\/p>\n

Christian Nicolais of Clarks Summit-based CKPA LLC aims to have the properties along the 1000 block of Wheeler Avenue finished and available to rent by Sept. 1.<\/p>\n

CKPA LLC purchased three parcels on Wheeler Avenue, including the site of the former Heil\u2019s Place property, from Dunmore-based LJP Realty LLC for $250,000, according to a deed recorded Oct. 1, 2024. In additon to the townhouses, Nicolais also plans to construct a laundromat on the property.<\/p>\n

Heil\u2019s Place \u2014 which developed a reputation as a popular venue for local bands after John Heil took ownership of the business in 1973\u00a0 \u2014 closed in January 2017.<\/p>\n

Scranton City Planner Don King said plans for the townhouses were approved last summer and Nicolais received zoning approval for the laundromat several years ago.<\/p>\n

Nicolais noted crews began work on the property in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a couple years to get through all the planning and permitting,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce we got all that done, we were able to get the financing in place and move along with the project at a pretty rapid pace. Once the townhouses are finished and rented, we\u2019ll start on the laundromat \u2014 hopefully by the middle of September or the beginning of October.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicolais \u2014\u00a0 originally of Dunmore \u2014 grew tired of seeing the property sit empty and took action.<\/p>\n

\u201cI drove by the vacant lot for many years and saw an opportunity for affordable housing and a laundromat,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the demographic was correct for those two opportunities. We\u2019re going to improve that whole corner, which has been a bit of a nuisance to the neighbors and an eyesore to everyone who passes by.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Heil'sHeil\u2019s Place in Scranton closing in January 2017 after 43 years in business. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The two-bedroom, one-bathroom, 950-square-foot modular townhouses \u2014 constructed by Scranton-based Cornerstone Building Solutions \u2014 also each contain a kitchen and living room, Nicolais said.<\/p>\n

The townhouses, listed by Marion Gatto of Lewith & Freeman Real Estate, will be available to rent for $2,000 per month, according to an online listing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to keep the rents as low as possible,\u201d Nicolais said. \u201cIn today\u2019s market, that\u2019s difficult to do. Construction is expensive. We have quite a bit of interest in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scranton City Council Vice President Patrick Flynn applauded Nicolais for increasing the housing stock in Scranton.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more housing units we can get inside the city, especially in the neighborhoods, the better chance we have to make this a great place for young individuals coming out of college looking to start a career and young families looking to put their roots down in the city,\u201d he said. \u201cThe more opportunities we have to house them and give them opportunities to grow as individuals and families, the better we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA contruction vehicle sits in front of new townhouses being built on Wheeler Avenue in Scranton Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
\n\"TheThe front entrances to new townhouses being constructed on Wheeler Avenue in Scranton Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
\n\"TheThe rear entrances to new townhouses being constructed on Wheeler Avenue in Scranton Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The addition of eight townhouses will provide a new housing opportunity in Scranton\u2019s Hill Section. Christian Nicolais of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272756,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[60,2136,201,182,28,1081,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-272755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-business","tag-dunmore","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-real-estate","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272755","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=272755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}