To save mall, Lackawanna County would explore eminent domain
“Lackawanna County would explore acquisition of the Mall at Steamtown by eminent domain if the alternative were an empty building on Lackawanna Avenue, Commissioner Corey O’Brien said.
With the revelation Wednesday of an impending foreclosure by the mall’s creditors, Mr. O’Brien said the county is optimistic businessman Al Boscov will find a way to maintain the mall as a viable enterprise but is keeping all of its options on the table.
“We are hopeful — I think everyone is hopeful — that the mall comes out of its foreclosure on better financial footing that allows it to be successful moving forward,” he said. “That is everyone’s goal. That is the first, second and third option for everybody.”
What would be unacceptable is a vacant mall in downtown Scranton, the commissioner said. At that point, county officials would have to look at alternatives for a “reinvented mall” and what role the county could play.
Options could include securing space in the mall to meet the county’s office space needs or taking the building by eminent domain, Mr. O’Brien said in a statement released to the newspaper. He described the latter option as a long shot and “an absolute last resort.””
Singleton, David. The Times Tribune 6 March 2014.