Scranton council tables mayoral zoning change after heated debate over Geisinger expansion

Scranton City Council on Tuesday moved a mayoral zoning amendment that would lift height limits for hospital-related development to a public hearing, following hours of public comment both supporting and opposing the change.

Geisinger Community Medical Center executives said the hospital is operating at capacity and needs flexibility to expand. "These improvements, and I cannot stress this enough, represent the absolute end of the line with what we can do inside the hospital as it stands today," Geisinger COO Megan Brocious told council, describing recent upgrades and rising patient volumes. Nick Coleman, who oversees clinical operations at GCMC, added that if the amendment is denied "we will be forced to look elsewhere in the county to expand. We are out of options."

Neighbors, neighborhood association leaders and other residents sharply criticized the timing, process and lack of concrete plans. Jess Nolan, a Hill section resident, said Geisinger "picked up their ball and they threatened" when pressed for specifics and questioned why the city should change zoning before Tenor Healthcare’s proposed acquisition of Commonwealth Health is finalized. Multiple residents and neighborhood association leaders urged the hospital to pursue variances through the zoning hearing board rather than seek a blanket rezoning.

Councilmembers voiced a mix of deference to the hospital’s operational concerns and insistence on due process. Several members said they want specific site plans, studies of traffic and parking impacts, and a written commitment to ongoing neighborhood engagement before granting broad zoning changes. One councilmember urged compromise on height limits as a possible path forward, saying a mid-range number could meet hospital needs and neighborhood concerns.

Rather than advance the ordinance for final passage, councilmembers voted to table the measure and schedule further engagement: Geisinger will attend a caucus session on Dec. 2 to answer council questions and a public hearing on the proposal will be held Dec. 9 at 5:45 p.m. The ordinance was read by title during the meeting and then tabled to allow time for additional review and community input.

The council’s action leaves the current zoning in place for now while establishing a process — caucus and public hearing — intended to gather more information. Supporters of the amendment said it would let the hospital expand services and preserve local care; opponents said it risks "spot zoning" and lasting neighborhood harm without firm, transparent plans.