ASHLEY — The Lower South Valley Land Bank board of directors voted unanimously Wednesday to sell a vacant lot in downtown Wilkes-Barre to a nonprofit to use as a perennial garden and youth education area.
Jamie Smith, a downtown resident, photographer and founder of Social Fabric Collective, a nonprofit organization that provides professional photography equipment, education and inspiration to high school students, presented the plan to the board at a meeting in April.
According to the proposal, the garden design and installation would incorporate a variety of perennial flowers native to the region, ensure accessibility and safety for children and families and utilize eco-friendly and sustainable gardening practices.
The Lower South Valley Land Bank board voted on Wednesday to sell this vacant lot at 64 W. Ross St. in Wilkes-Barre’s River Street Historic District, seen here on Tuesday, to the Social Fabric Collective for use as a perennial garden and youth education area. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Because it’s located in the heart of the historic district, the property would be a perfect place for students to photograph nature as part of a larger curriculum in a neighborhood filled with historic buildings and architecture, .
It’s just around the corner from the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion, the first of 24 stops on the Wilkes-Barre Walkitecture Tour — a 2.2-mile, looped, self-guided walking route that highlights the city’s architecture, deep-rooted history and local landmarks.
In addition to Smith’s students, 90% of whom are on scholarships, the garden will be available for many types of educational and community programs.
The Lower South Valley Land Bank board voted on Wednesday to sell this vacant lot at 64 W. Ross St. in Wilkes-Barre’s River Street Historic District, seen here on Tuesday, to the Social Fabric Collective for use as a perennial garden and youth education area. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The board on Wednesday agreed to sell the lot, which is about one-tenth of an acre in size, to the collective for $15,000, pending legal review.
With luck, the closing could take place within 30 to 60 days, Ted Ritsick, land bank volunteer staff administrator, said.
Smith, who attended Wednesday’s meeting with some other project supporters including Alec and Anita Frank and Luzerne County Councilwoman Brittany Stephenson, said Downtown residents involved in the project have been “cautiously kind of brainstorming and planning ideas” in the months prior to the board vote.
“I think now that we have a timeline from them on how the sales agreement is negotiated, we have plans for the neighborhood to get together and start talking about fundraising, organizing meetings. So, we’ll set up groups that want to be involved in designing, selecting the plants, putting them in the ground, maintaining them long-term, and also the educational programs — who wants to teach things,” Smith said.
Left to right, Jamie Smith, Alec and Anita Frank and Brittany Stephenson, supporters of Social Fabric Collective’s bid for a Downtown Wilkes-Barre property at 64 W. Ross St., watch the Lower South Valley Land Bank board deliberate Wednesday at the Earth Conservancy offices in Ashley. (STEVE MOCARSKY / STAFF PHOTO)
“I anticipate that it will probably be spring before we’re physically putting plants in the ground. There’s a lot of work ahead in terms of getting organized and coordinated,” he said.
Wilkes-Barre City Council Chairman Tony Brooks, who is a Downtown resident and director of the Wilkes-Barré Preservation Society and whose council district includes the Ross Street property, also attended the meeting to show his support.
“This is a great example of neighbors coming together in their community, in their neighborhood, to make something positive happen,” Brooks said.
Wilkes-Barre Mayor George C. Brown had ordered the emergency demolition of a long-vacant house on the Ross Street property in 2021 after a structural engineer deemed if unsafe and unfit for human habitation. The land bank acquired the property in November through a tax sale.
Children’s Service Center also had submitted a bid and proposal for the property that involved using it for ingress to and egress from its properties on South Franklin Street.
But, over the past month, representatives from CSS, the City of Wilkes-Barre and perennial garden advocates “had a conversation about what would be best for the neighborhood, and there was agreement reached between I think everybody that we’d be proceeding with the path that we took today,” Ritsick said.
Erica Stuart, whose parents founded C&O Services, delivers a presentation to the Lower South Valley Land Bank board of directors in the conference room at Earth Conservancy in Ashley on Wednesday, with assistance from her C&O colleagues, Henry Paz, left, and Michael Mayernik, right. (STEVE MOCARSKY / STAFF PHOTO)
In other business
The land bank board also:
Heard a presentation from Erica Stuart, director of Marketing and Operations for Edgewater, Maryland-based C&O Services, who, with her colleagues, proposed partnering with the land bank on future projects and providing services ranging from appraisals to rehabilitation to ground-up construction.
Decided to subdivide a property at 3 Loxley St. in Hanover Twp. and sell it to neighbors on either side who want to purchase it rather than choose between them.
Discussed miscommunications with code officers from member municipalities. Code officers from Kingston and Wilkes-Barre issued quality-of-life citations for high grass or weeds on three properties owned by the land bank because they weren’t aware of the proper procedures. Ritsick said he would hire a landscaper to make sure all land banked properties are maintained.
Learn more
Visit Social Fabric Collective online at socialfabriccollective.org or volunteer by emailing info@socialfabriccollective.org or calling 917-647-5390.