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Lackawanna County approves land‑bank conveyances, OKs four related resolutions
Summary
The Lackawanna County board approved four land‑bank resolutions June 10 and heard that the county land bank has conveyed 435 properties to date, including transfers to nonprofits and two pending buyer applications for small lots in Scranton and Scott Township.
The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners approved four land‑bank resolutions on June 10 after staff reported that the county’s land bank has conveyed 435 properties to date.
Ralph, a county land‑bank staff member, told commissioners the land bank has conveyed 310 properties in the city of Scranton (with three pending and one on the meeting agenda) and provided a municipal breakdown that included West Scranton (86), South Scranton (75), North Scranton (63), Green Ridge (37) and East Scranton (24). He said transfers have also gone to local nonprofits and municipalities, including United Neighborhood Community Development Corporation, Lackawanna Resource Development Corporation, Ronald McDonald House and Endless Mountain Habitat for Humanity.
Ralph presented two purchase applications the board considered: a parcel at 601–603 South Main Avenue in Scranton (PIN 15609‑080019) from Corey Grogan and Steven Scafindia, who plan to construct a memorial garden and offered $600 under the property purchase program; and a parcel on Green Grove Road in Scott Township (PIN 07 203020011601) from Brian Fankowski, the adjacent owner, who offered $600 to use the lot as green space.
Counsel explained a separate request involving the estate of the late Walter Moyer was a deed‑of‑distribution that would transfer title to Moyer’s wife and that the land‑bank’s five‑year retention restriction would remain on the deed.
The board moved and seconded the measures and voted to approve the following resolutions unanimously: 26‑017 (acquisition of additional property from the tax sale bureau repository list), 26‑018 (conveyance under the property purchase program), 26‑019 (permission to sell former land‑bank property prior to the five‑year retention period) and 26‑020 (ratifying an option agreement with the tax claim bureau to submit preemptive bids at the 2026 judicial sale). All present commissioners voted in favor (roll call recorded Commissioner Gahan, Mr. Welby, Mrs. Gatto, Mr. Tobin, Mayor Bannon, Mrs. Freiberg and Mr. Carlucci as present).
The advisory committee had previously reviewed and recommended approval of the proposed actions, and staff noted past cleanup work by NeighborWorks at the Main Avenue lot in 2022. Commissioners voiced support for transferring visible, repeatedly abused lots to local caretakers; one commissioner said bringing property into productive use would stop ongoing dumping.
Next procedural steps announced at the meeting included recording the conveyances and processing the deed‑of‑distribution with the five‑year restriction intact. The board set its next meeting for July 8 at 11:00 a.m.
