Luzerne County Council’s Real Estate Committee voted Thursday to advance the proposed sale listing of two county-owned properties to the full council for its consideration and possible approval.
The administration has suggested selling a commercial/office building in downtown Hazleton and a three-story brick structure on West Union Street in Wilkes-Barre that previously housed community development.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo told the committee Thursday the Hazleton property at 100 W. Broad St. is proposed for sale because inquiries were made by potential buyers.
Known as the Broad Street Business Exchange, that property is four stories with an attached wing and has been appraised at $2.1 million.
The county accepted ownership of the property in 2009 from the nonprofit Alliance to Revitalize Center City Hazleton because the property was headed for a delinquent tax auction. The nonprofit owners owed the county’s community development office more than $1.8 million in loans, which were at risk of remaining unpaid if the property was sold to the highest tax sale bidder, officials said at the time.
Those community development loans remain as liens on the property, which means net proceeds from a sale would have to be applied toward the loans, officials said.
Tenants in the 44,480-square-foot structure include Luzerne County Community College, a coffee shop and a law firm.
The three-story brick Wilkes-Barre structure at 54 W. Union St. is vacant and should be sold because the county has no government use for it, Crocamo told the committee. Its appraised market value is $373,000.
If a council majority opts to list the properties, it would have to set up a format for prospective buyers to submit offers. In past sales of larger, properties such as these, the county publicly sought proposals from interested buyers. A real estate broker was also identified as an option that council could consider.
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