Commissioners back tax break for senior housing

The Lackawanna County commissioners approved a property tax break Wednesday for a company that plans to build a 121-unit senior citizens apartment building in Scranton's Green Ridge neighborhood.

Under the tax break, which the Scranton School District and the city also have approved, for-profit Affordable Senior Housing Opportunities of New York Inc. will pay no property taxes for 10 years.

At a city council meeting several months ago, several city residents ripped the tax break, but company officials say the break will be large enough to pay the mortgage on the building and keep rents affordable.

The rents will range from $700 to $900 depending on whether someone will rent a one- or two-bedroom apartment, said attorney Frank Hoegen, who represented the company at the commissioners meeting.

The company plans to build a 115,000-square-foot, three-story "Green Ridge Senior Housing" building on 5.5 of 11.7 acres near the former Daron Northeast Block site at Dickson Avenue and Delaware Street.

The project is expected to cost between $10 million and $15 million, and create 200 construction jobs and five to 10 permanent jobs, Mr. Hoegen said. Neighbors long objected to noise and dust from Daron before it closed, but Mr. Hoegen said more than 200 signed a petition supporting the housing project.

"That's a really quiet area you're going to be building in so all of the neighbors are on board," Commissioner Patrick O'Malley said.

In other business, the commissioners:

- Voted to amend the county hotel tax ordinance to clarify that people who occupy hotel rooms must pay a 4 percent tax on the room for up to 30 days no matter how much longer they stay there.

- Hired Infocon Corp. of Ebensburg to put the county's criminal records online at a cost of $20,000, plus $250 a month. The commissioners also hired Infocon to install a system summoning prospective jurors for $1,000, plus $1,000 a day for training.

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Commissioners back tax break for senior housing