Old River Road Bakery is off county tax sale
The county, W-B city and W-B Area School District agreed to put the property up for sale.
By Sheena Delazio sdelazio@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
WILKES-BARRE – The former Old River Road Bakery in South Wilkes-Barre is up for sale.
The Old River Road Bakery was taken off the Sept. 22 county tax sale, and listed for public sale, after the county, Wilkes-Barre city and Wilkes-Barre Area School District came to an agreement. It must be sold within six months or it will be put on the upset sale.
Times Leader File Photo
Luzerne County Senior Judge Chester Muroski on Thursday agreed to have the property taken off the Sept. 22 county tax sale, and listed for public sale, after the county, Wilkes-Barre city and Wilkes-Barre Area School District came to an agreement.
The three entities agreed to put the property out for bid, even though the city still owes $13,054 to the county in back taxes.
William Vinsko, an attorney for the city, said in a stipulation that the city would carry the balance until the property is sold, at which time it would pay the $13,054 to the county.
In early August, the school district forgave an estimated $440,000 in back taxes and put several provisions in place that would need to be followed.
Muroski said he was agreeable to the terms of the forgiveness of the back taxes, and said they must be followed.
The judge also said the property must be sold within six months or it will be put on the county’s upset sale in March.
According to the stipulation, the city must: publicly advertise the property for sale in local newspapers and on the Internet; must open all bids, and then present projects to city council or at a specially-scheduled meeting; provide the school district and county with a monthly status report regarding the sale and development; and pay the school district 20 percent of the proceeds of the sale.
Vinsko said that once the bids are made, the bidder will meet with city council in mid-November to present the plans for the property, how it will be financed and a timeline of development.
Vinsko said the bids could be rejected if they don’t cover the $13,054 in back taxes still owed and other fees.
Muroski asked Vinsko what the status of the zoning on the property was, and Vinsko said it is zoned as a residential property.
It was zoned as residential in 2006 because townhomes were tentatively planned for that parcel, but that when the house market fell, the project was axed, Vinsko said.
If a business was to purchase the property, Vinsko said, the owner would have to go through a normal zoning hearing to return it to a commercial site.
Assistant Solicitor Raymond Wendolowski, of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, said the district agrees with the terms of the stipulation.
Assistant County Solicitor Stephen Menn said he has spoken with all three county commissioners about the stipulation as well, and that they, too, are agreeable.
John Rodgers, owner of Northeast Revenue Service LLC, the county’s tax-claim operator, said he agreed to have the property taken off the tax sale, but said that if it is not sold within a reasonable amount of time, he would ask Muroski to return it to tax-sale status.
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