Council President Tom Schuster asked the following question:
- May the Council please have an update on the Meadow Brook Project in Green Ridge Please include the number of easements secured and pending in addition to any legal claims filed to date?
- We have acquired 32 easements agreements, and we have 12 outstanding properties. We have had no legal claims filed to date.
Council Member Dr. Jessica Rothchild asked the following question:
- What is the status of the previously provided demolition list from 2025? Which of these properties were demolished? Will the remaining properties be placed on the 2026 list?
- Twenty-one (21) properties have been demolished since Jan. 1, 2025. Any properties from the 2025 list that have not yet been demolished will carry over to the 2026 list.
- The following properties were demolished since Jan. 1, 2025:
- 1016 Stafford Ave.
- 110 Marion St.
- 1109 Poplar St.
- 1409 Watson St.
- 1433-1435 Fellows St.
- 1848 Clearview St.
- 2113 Rear Myrtle St.
- 221 Wheeler Ave. (Garage)
- 306 Beddoe Ct.
- 3229 Cedar Ave.
- 402 Theodore St.
- 524 Gibbons St.
- 524 Rear Gibbons St.
- 630 Clay Ave.
- 701 Shawnee Ave./703 Depot St.
- 734 Theodore St.
- 801 S. Webster Ave. (Garage)
- 812 Hampton St.
- 918 Madison Ave.
- 915 Euclid Ave.
- Is there a committee responsible for determining if a property meets the standard for a demo? What about to discuss condemned properties?
- The City uses a third-party engineering firm, Barry Isett & Associates, to determine whether a property is appropriate for demolition. They also assess the overall level of safety concern and determine when an emergency demolition is necessary. Properties are condemned by the Housing Inspectors under the supervision of either Andrew Sunday or Tom Oleski. The City’s Economic Development Director, Code Enforcement Director, and Code Enforcement Manager work with Barry Isett Engineering to determine the severity of the condemned properties and choose the order in which properties should be demolished. Demolitions occur in rounds 1, 2, and 3 throughout the year.
- What is the status of all condemned properties within the city? (How many are there, how long have they been condemned for, are there court dates or litigation pending, etc)
- Properties are added to and removed from the condemnation list on a regular basis. As of today, there are 225 condemned properties in the City. After condemnation, a property owner has the right to file an appeal to the Housing Appeals Board. Several properties are heard by that board each month. A property must be condemned for at least one full year with no improvements before it is considered for demolition.
- How are properties being prioritized for demo?
- We are in the process of determining which properties will be part of Phase 1 of 2026 demolitions. We anticipate having the list of Phase 1 properties by May 1.
- Can they provide us with an estimation for when they will have the demo list for 2026 completed?
- The properties for Phase 1 of 2026 demolitions will be completed by May 1.
- How much money is budgeted towards demos for 2026?
- There is $175,000 budgeted for City-funded demolitions. Additionally, we have $174,986.43 available in 2026 CDBG Demolition funding by way of Housing and Urban Development.
Council Vice President Patrick Flynn asked the following question::
- With the action by the city DPW to remove the various homeless camps in the city, Mr. Flynn asked if the city does offer guidance and assistance regarding services at the time of relocation. If not, may the city designate which non-profits may assist the displaced parties by engaging these respective non-profits to assist the DPW and SPD by providing the guidance and services available?
- Consistent direction to services is provided by SPD and its non-profit partners that routinely engage with the homeless population.
- The Police Department posts illegal camp sites with no trespassing yard signs whether or not contact with the occupant(s) is made. The occupants are given 48 hours to vacate the location.
- It is common for the occupants to leave with their personal belongings but abandon other items such as tents, sleeping bags, garbage etc. (Replacements are readily available.)
- If the abandoned property is removed from the site by DPW, it is at the request of the Police Department.
- Councilman Flynn has asked if the city has information regarding the reason and plans for the clearing of land next to the Connell Park pool? Would this be part of the Connell Park Rehabilitation Project?
- The area was cleared of knotweed, and trash that had been blown in there. There are no additional plans at this time.
Councilman Sean McAndrew asked the following:
- Mr. McAndrew thanked the administration for the response regarding the billboard at 320 Mulberry Street. Mr. McAndrew reiterated that he would like to see the original permits taken for the initial billboard construction.
- The sign permit application, engineering plans, and issued permit from 2008 are attached as supplemental documents. The new matter was resolved by the issuance of the permit. The City did not make any monetary payment to the Plaintiff.
- Mr. McAndrew asked if the city would continue the practice of removing the camps around the school, heritage trail, etc. He asked if this was just a Spring cleanup or will continue throughout the year.
- The police department continuously investigates trespassing incidents in and around the Lackawanna River corridor which includes the Heritage trail and Scranton High School
City of Scranton Council Responses – March 23, 2026 | PDF
Last modified: March 23, 2026
