By Bill OBoyle [email protected]
WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Felix Reznick, owner of the Wyoming Valley Mall, on Thursday said the proposed plan to move MotorWorld | Mile One auto dealership to the mall has been talked about for months and Reznick wanted to clarify what exactly the project — if finalized and implemented — would include.
Reznick said the plan he has seen would have the car dealership occupy the spaces formerly occupied by Sears and the Bon-Ton stores and various other vacant areas of the mall. He said the stores currently open in the mall would remain open. Reznick also said he is awaiting word from Macy’s on the future of their two stores in the mall.
“If this project happens, it will be an incredible boon to the mall,” Reznick said. “I hope it happens, but it is not a done deal.”
Additional buildings would be constructed outside the mall, sources said.
The plan is in it earliest stages, with no decisions being made to date. There are drawings of what the mall would look like if MotorWorld did decide to do the project and they will be presented at a zoning hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Wilkes-Barre Township Municipal Building, 150 Watson St.
Reznick said if the approvals are granted at Tuesday night’s township zoning board, the project could move a bit forward.
“I’m all for it,” Resnick said.
Listed on the zoning hearing board agenda is a request for variances from MOAG (Mile One Auto Group) Wyoming Valley LLC for an auto sales business.
According to sources, the request is being made on behalf of MotorWorld | MileOne Autogroup, a dealership located off of Route 315 in Plains Township.
The sources said MotorWorld is considering a plan to move the dealership to the Wyoming Valley Mall and would include occupying much of the space of the mall up to the JCPenney store.
On Wednesday, Rick Osick, Division President at MotorWorld, said he could not offer comment on the plan.
“All we can say is that it’s an option we are looking at,” Osick said. “No decisions have been made. We are just gathering information.”
Nicholas Argot, senior project manager for Verdantes Engineering, submitted a letter to Wilkes-Barre Township Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer Tom Zedolik detailing the project.
“We are pleased to submit for your review the enclosed permit for a redevelopment of the current site at the Wyoming Valley Mall,” Argot wrote. “The project proposes the construction of several automaker sales spaces along Wyoming Valley Mall Road, renovations to the interior of the existing mall, a car wash, off-street parking and associated site improvements. We thank the board for its consideration of our request and look forward to discussing the project with you.”
Grotto Pizza has a location outside the mall, but Zedolik said the plans that were submitted show that the building would be removed for the new project.
Tony DeCosmo, spokesman for Grotto, issued a statement:
“We are aware that Mile One Auto Group is exploring a potential project involving the Wyoming Valley Mall, but there’s no reason for us to comment on it until more details are known. As for our restaurant, regardless of how that project proceeds, we will be serving our guests there for years to come.”