SCRANTON — The Wright Center for Community Health plans to build a $5 million health center in North Scranton to replace its existing one.
A new building at 1727-1729 N. Main Ave. would go next to the center’s existing health center at 1721 N. Main Ave.
The Wright Center operates a network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne and Wyoming counties. The center says that Northeast Pennsylvania “continues to have an unmet need” for the center’s integrated model of providing primary and behavioral health care and dental services at one location.
According to Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, senior vice president and enterprise chief operations and strategy officer at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, the background and details of the project in North Scranton include:
• The Wright Center for Community Health North Scranton opened in July 2023 at 1721 N. Main Ave., which for decades had been the office of Dr. Paul Remick. When he retired, the Wright Center began offering primary and preventive care at that location, to minimize disruption for Remick’s longtime patients and to expand access to affordable, high-quality primary care for patients of all ages, income levels and insurance statuses.
• In February, the Wright Center bought an apartment building at 1727-1729 N. Main St. for expansion, to better serve a growing demand for health care, provide more parking for patients and staff, and make infrastructure improvements. “We did not have the capacity to continue our growth in our existing primary care office building. We’re privileged to be able to invest in the long-term health and welfare of the North Scranton community to ensure residents’ current and future healthcare needs are satisfied,” Sheth said.
• Plans calls for construction of a nearly 8,000-square-foot, two-story building that offers primary and behavioral health care and dental services. The building would have 10 exam rooms on the first floor and four dental treatment rooms and four behavioral health treatment rooms on the second floor, as well as space for lab services.
• The project would start next spring and end next fall or winter, depending on weather and other factors.
• The total estimated cost of the project of just over $5 million would be funded in part by a state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant of $984,585.
• The current clinic will be demolished for parking space after construction of a new center next door is completed.
The center recently completed a similar, though much larger, expansion project in Wilkes-Barre that last month won a Pride of Place award from the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce for a “thoughtful, intentional design for the present and future health care needs in Luzerne County.”
Meanwhile, the Wright Center will seek variances for the North Scranton project from the city Zoning Board during a hearing Wednesday at City Hall at 6 p.m., according to the meeting agenda published in public notices in recent editions of The Times-Tribune. The variances sought include: impervious coverage to be increased from the allowed 70% to 79%; parking spaces to be reduced from the required 68 to 34; curb-to-shrub distance reduced from 3 feet to 1 foot; landscape buffer along the public right of way reduced from 3 feet to 1 foot; and landscape buffer next to residential districts reduced from 10 feet to 5 feet.
Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, senior vice president and enterprise chief operations and strategy officer at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education: (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF THE WRIGHT CENTER)
The Wright Center for Community Health plans to demolish its North Scranton health center at 1721 N. Main Ave. and an apartment building next door at 1727-29 N. Main Ave., and replace them with a new, two-story health center on the footprint of the apartment building and a parking lot on the footprint of the current clinic. The center will seek variances from the Scranton Zoning Board on Dec. 10, 2025 for the project. An orange notice of the zoning hearing posted on a utility pole in front of the buildings is shown here on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Wright Center for Community Health plans to demolish its North Scranton health center at 1721 N. Main Ave., at left, as well as the apartment building next door at 1727-29 N. Main Ave., at right, shown here on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, and replace them with a new, two-story health center on the footprint of the apartment building and a parking lot on the footprint of the current clinic. The center hopes to start the $5 million project in spring of 2026 and complete it by the end of that year. The apartment building would get demolished first, followed by construction of a new center. After the clinic moves into the new building next door, the vacated clinic at 1721 N. Main Ave would be demolished and become a parking area. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Wright Center for Community Health plans to demolish its North Scranton health center at 1721 N. Main Ave., shown here on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, and an apartment building next door at 1727-29 N. Main Ave. and replace them with a new, two-story health center on the footprint of the apartment building and a parking lot on the footprint of the current clinic. The center hopes to start the $5 million project in spring of 2026 and complete it by the end of that year. The apartment building would get demolished first, followed by construction of a new center. After the clinic moves into the new building next door, the vacated clinic at 1721 N. Main Ave would be demolished and become a parking area. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Wright Center for Community Health plans to demolish its North Scranton health center at 1721 N. Main Ave. and an apartment building next door at 1727-29 N. Main Ave., shown here on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, and replace them with a new, two-story health center on the footprint of the apartment building and a parking lot on the footprint of the current clinic. The center hopes to start the $5 million project in spring of 2026 and complete it by the end of that year. The apartment building would get demolished first, followed by construction of a new center. After the clinic moves into the new building next door, the vacated clinic at 1721 N. Main Ave would be demolished and become a parking area. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Wright Center for Community Health plans to demolish its North Scranton health center at 1721 N. Main Ave. and an apartment building next door at 1727-29 N. Main Ave., shown here on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, and replace them with a new, two-story health center on the footprint of the apartment building and a parking lot on the footprint of the current clinic. The center hopes to start the $5 million project in spring of 2026 and complete it by the end of that year. The apartment building would get demolished first, followed by construction of a new center. After the clinic moves into the new building next door, the vacated clinic at 1721 N. Main Ave would be demolished and become a parking area. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
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The Wright Center for Community Health plans to demolish its North Scranton health center at 1721 N. Main Ave. and an apartment building next door at 1727-29 N. Main Ave., and replace them with a new, two-story health center on the footprint of the apartment building and a parking lot on the footprint of the current clinic. The center will seek variances from the Scranton Zoning Board on Dec. 10, 2025 for the project. An orange notice of the zoning hearing posted on a utility pole in front of the buildings is shown here on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)