Consultants present Montage Mountain economic-development plan; commissioners form implementation committee

Consultants from eConsult Solutions, the Riddle Company and Kimley‑Horn presented a Montage Mountain economic-development study to the Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners on July 16, 2025, highlighting tourism and hotel assets while flagging transportation congestion, topography constraints and retail vacancies as the primary barriers to new investment. Commissioners said they will form a county–city–borough implementation committee to begin work on priority recommendations.

The study team—led by Brian Licari of eConsult Solutions—said Montage Mountain is a mixed commercial, residential and entertainment corridor east of the I‑476/I‑81 interchange that includes parts of Moosic Borough and the city of Scranton. Licari said the plan, funded in part by an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant and supported by the NEPA Alliance, evaluated market conditions, land use, transportation and visitation patterns and included stakeholder interviews and a community survey. The full plan document will be posted publicly, he said.

Why it matters: Montage Mountain contains regionally significant attractions—the ski resort, the water park, the Pavilion concert venue and PNC Field—that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Consultants told commissioners that improving circulation, public‑realm infrastructure and coordinated governance could increase visitor stays and spending, support retail and lodging, and boost the county tax base.

Key findings and near‑term priorities included: expanding and formalizing a second access/evacuation connection between Glenmary (Glenmore) National Boulevard and Mountain Road; implementing an event‑day traffic circulation plan and interjurisdictional event coordination; addressing roughly half of the Shops at Montage vacancy with entertainment and dining anchors; and producing a professional “pitch deck” and marketing program to attract developers and retail tenants. The consultants estimated about 1.1 million square feet of office space on the mountain and nearly 700 hotel rooms (about one‑third of the county’s hotel supply). They also reported roughly 50% vacancy at the Shops at Montage and noted the site’s steep topography increases development costs.

Consultants described two near‑term, lower‑cost opportunities: (1) an event management and agency coordination protocol to reduce post‑event congestion, and (2) targeted outreach by the county and its partners to retail and entertainment brokers (for example, meetings at regional retail conferences) to market the mountain’s tourism demand and hotel inventory. Catherine Timko (The Riddle Company) recommended pursuit of family‑oriented restaurants, breweries or entertainment venues as complements to the Pavilion and water park; Paul Vernon (Kimley‑Horn) summarized land‑use and placemaking priorities; and Corey Green (Kimley‑Horn) described traffic operations and the value of an additional access connection for emergency and event circulation.

Commissioner Bill Gahan praised the study as “detailed” and community driven and said the county will not let the plan “sit on a shelf.” Gahan said the county will form a committee with the Office of Economic Development, the city of Scranton, Moosic Borough and the visitors bureau to begin implementing recommendations. Krista Magnotta, the county’s director of economic development, told commissioners that staff are already pursuing parts of the plan. Moosic Borough manager Thomas (first name not provided) thanked the consultants and said borough emergency services and council members had been interviewed during the process.

What was not decided: the presentation did not include any binding approvals or new spending. Commissioners described the next step as forming an interjurisdictional committee to coordinate implementation; they did not commit county funds for specific capital projects during the meeting.

Next steps and implementation considerations: the consultants provided a detailed set of 23 actionable recommendations organized into six goal areas (transportation/connectivity, public‑realm infrastructure, governance/coordination, tourism/visitation, development opportunity creation, and marketing/branding). Commissioners asked staff to pursue an implementation committee and to use the plan to guide targeted investments, permitting and outreach to potential developers and tenants. The consultants recommended pursuing ARC and other grant funds, modest public‑realm investments to reduce development friction, and coordinated event‑day traffic operations to improve the visitor experience.

Evidence from meeting transcript: the presentation began with consultants introducing the study and team, describing the ARC grant, market and visitation analysis, and priority recommendations. Commissioners responded by praising the plan’s detail and announcing the committee to work on implementation.