Lackawanna County land bank reports 393 conveyances; board approves four resolutions

At a public meeting, the Lackawanna County Land Bank reported it has conveyed 393 properties countywide and approved four resolutions authorizing additional acquisitions and conveyances and an amendment to a legal services contract.

The land bank reported 276 conveyances in the city of Scranton, with several pending transactions and two parcels listed for action at the meeting. The board approved Resolution No. 25‑021 authorizing acquisition of additional property from the tax claim office repository list; Resolution No. 25‑022 authorizing conveyances under the property purchase program; Resolution No. 25‑023 granting permission to sell a parcel previously acquired under the land bank’s five‑year retention policy after specified conditions are met; and Resolution No. 25‑024 approving Amendment No. 8 to a legal services contract. Each resolution was put to vote and, as recorded in the meeting, “the ayes have it” and the resolutions were approved.

The land bank provided a neighborhood breakdown for Scranton parcels, reporting conveyances in West Grant, South Grant, Green Ridge, East Scranton and other neighborhoods. The board also listed conveyances and pending parcels across multiple municipalities and boroughs including Covington Township, Carbondale, Vanling Borough, Fell Township, Scott Township, Thornhurst Township, Jefferson Township, Dunmore Borough and Archibald Borough. The board said certain municipal and nonprofit partners have received conveyed parcels, including transfers to the city of Scranton and local development corporations.

During discussion of the property purchase program, staff described four specific applications scheduled to be acted on by resolution at the meeting: an application from Robert Jones, Phyllis Jones and Richard Jones for a parcel at Eighth Street/Eighth Avenue and Fellows Street; an application from Sorora Almonte for property adjacent to 2239 Main Avenue (listed as parcel PIN 13505070020 in the meeting materials) for use as green space; and two repository parcels requested by Archibald Borough for access to and maintenance of retention ponds. Board staff confirmed the advisory committee reviewed the applications and recommended moving forward.

The board also considered a request by a prior purchaser seeking permission to convey a parcel after experiencing financial hardship. Meeting staff said the prospective purchaser had been vetted for outstanding municipal fees and taxes and proposed a sale price of $7,940; the board conditioned issuance of a permission letter on receipt of a deed restriction preventing resale for five years and a settlement statement showing back taxes and other obligations have been paid. Staff said they would review submitted deed and settlement documents and prepare the permission letter for board signature once the conditions were met.

Attorney Richard Kent addressed the meeting to thank land bank staff and to praise the operation, stating, “All my years of practice in law, this is one of the best things I ever got involved in. We’re actually doing some good in the world, and we’re operating in the black.” The board acknowledged the comment and completed the votes.

Ending

Board members set no additional public hearings on these items during the meeting; unresolved conditions and required documentation for individual conveyances were to be submitted to staff before final letters of permission are issued. The meeting adjourned after routine items and the next scheduled meeting was announced as Aug. 13, 2025, at 11 a.m.