Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Continues to SP-R--A---W----L Out and Grow Like a Weed

[hav0c]

Despite being somewhat encumbered by my cynical nature, I am pleased to learn that there are others out there who recognize the need to implement change.

If you stay, please (at least!) vote. Better still, become a pain in someone's ass! I'm tired of being one of the only disgruntled pricks to get thrown out of city council meetings and Partnership luncheons! LOL

It is going to be an uphill battle every step of the way though. Too many weasels (and I won't mention them by name, lest I be slapped with yet-another injunction or, worse, end up in the trunk of a crushed car at DeNaples) have had it too good for too long; they will spend every political marker they possess to protect the status quo.

In retrospect I really should have done a more intensive market study before opening up a technology consulting firm in the region. Bad idea. Like opening a dental office in WV: "All supply/No demand"

If I had it to do over again, I would be proactive enough to be the guy selling pitchforks & torches to the angry citizens of the region who are (as I am) sick of being taxed to death & getting nothing in return.

Kudos to anyone who is out to rock the boat here!

-h

[weluvpa]

I have been thrown out of a few Scranton City council meetings. Are you from Scranton? The Scranton City council is back in session at 6:30pm on Sept. 11th at city hall 2nd floor. I encourage all to attend these meetings so that you can see first hand the fleecing of the cities coffers. Remember we are $300,000,000 in debt and its climbing everyday. Thats alot of debt for 6 years don't you think?

[Chefkey]

Wilkes Barre and Scranton are not about to become Ghost towns. As the surrounding suburbs grow so will the inner cities. Migration due to the high cost of living in Jersey, New York and Philly are flooding the are with new residents everyday. Where some will like the Suburbs I believe some will like the cities. In any event, the more people migrate here, the more the area will develop. New businesses will be enticed to place their offices and factories here knowing there are people here to employ with them. This is a not a dark time for the valley but yet a very bright one that is about to explode with new growth.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by Chefkey

Wilkes Barre and Scranton are not about to become Ghost towns. As the surrounding suburbs grow so will the inner cities. Migration due to the high cost of living in Jersey, New York and Philly are flooding the are with new residents everyday. Where some will like the Suburbs I believe some will like the cities. In any event, the more people migrate here, the more the area will develop. New businesses will be enticed to place their offices and factories here knowing there are people here to employ with them. This is a not a dark time for the valley but yet a very bright one that is about to explode with new growth.

Sometimes I wonder WHY people move to the suburbs around Scranton...., most of the towns surrounding Scranton are no nicer than the neighborhoods in the city. Most neighborhoods in towns like Dickson City, Throop, Jessup, Olyphant, Archbald, etc, are pretty much the same as your typical Scranton neighborhood. In most cases, Scranton neighborhoods may be nicer, since the older homes in Scranton have a lot more in terms of nice architecture, since when this area was booming, the upper class tended to live in the city, while the coal miners mainly lived in the small surrounding towns on the Lackawanna River. Sure, the wage tax is higher in Scranton, but the property taxes are reasonable, and the tax bill works out about even in the end. In some cases, like Valley View and Abington Heights, will have higher taxes due to the school property taxes being higher.

And the myth about the schools being better in the surrounding towns is exactly that....a myth. Sure, some Scranton schools are better than others, but on the whole, Scranton schools are excellent (and the grade schools are smaller, which in my opinion, having a small neighborhood school is great for the elementary school-age kids). The schools in West Side are great, and our grade schools rank higher in test scores than schools like Valley View.

Even with the financial problems of the city, I like living here and have no intention of ever leaving.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by motomojo

I love PA- call 1-800-the land... they usually advertise alot... there are a bunch of new developments going in here in the North Poconos...

Yuck....I hate new subdivisions. Even if I were to build a new home, I would not do it in a planned development. small lots, with generally very few trees, is not what I would be looking for if I was investing a lot of money in a new home. I would rather a larger wooded lot, but thats me. For some reson, people seem to like these sterile developments.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by conorsdad

Yuck....I hate new subdivisions. Even if I were to build a new home, I would not do it in a planned development. small lots, with generally very few trees, is not what I would be looking for if I was investing a lot of money in a new home. I would rather a larger wooded lot, but thats me. For some reson, people seem to like these sterile developments.

Actually, for as much as I also hate the suburbs, Landview Properties (which is the company being mentioned here), lays out subdivisions where every parcel is at least semi-wooded and at least one acre in size. Some examples would be Laurel Brook Estates in Bear Creek Township, near Wilkes-Barre, and Goodleigh Manor in Dallas Township, also near Wilkes-Barre. Granted I wish all of the people buying these lots would give our boroughs and cities a glance before automatically running to the 'burbs, but Landview should be commended for not just doing a clear-cut operation and cramming as many homes as possible onto postage-stamp-sized lots, as most other developers around here do (just look at how out-of-place those Marina Ponte Townhomes look now at Harvey's Lake). Then again, with all of the trees being left I'm sure it won't be long before these ex-NY/NJ commuter transplants moving into places like Laurel Brook Estates starting whining and kvetching about there being too many squirrels or deer in their yards (as they do in the Poconos).

What you said about the historic architecture in Scranton rings very true. First and foremost I'd love to live in a reasonably-priced 1-bedroom downtown condo or loft apartment to get a taste of "city life," but if there are still no units available in several years when I consider moving downtown, I'll gladly buy a blighted or semi-blighted home in either the Lower Hill or Hyde Park, spend some time renovating it, and then raise my family there. I'm a "city guy," and since I can't afford places like NYC or Boston, Scranton is the next best thing.

[geos]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

While we're on the topic, I've also just read about another 1,000-unit housing development of McMansions and townhomes in the $200,000-$300,000 range being built in Archbald that will be known as the "Highlands at Archbald." Let's see how MiamiMan will be able to convince me that this will NOT hurt Scranton. Sure, our county is growing again in population, but all of that growth is being funneled into projects like these when it would have been better utilized in existing neighborhoods with high housing vacancy rates.

The Times-Tribune - Development may feature 1,000 homes (http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18466828&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id =590572&rfi=8 - broken link)

These McDevelopments are dinosaurs before they're finished. $5 and then $10 gas will see to that. The car culture is dead it just doesn't know it yet. In fact maybe the whole culture is dead.

Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash (http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ - broken link)
The Price of Oil at Oil Change

[Chefkey]

I agree with SWB, lets fix up the inner cities of the valley. You can't have dinner without the heart of the house.

[MermanMike]

The price of oil site is a good link--thanks geos. It amazes me that there is not more of an outrage about it. Many people will go on living in fantasy land until the very last moment.