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HARVEYS LAKE — A former campground in the borough is regaining new life as Lakeway Village Townhouses on Route 415 nears completion.

Six two-story townhomes will occupy a 1.3-acre lot between Old Lake Road and Route 415.

Each unit will offer 1,600-square-feet of living space per unit, said Mark Sobeck, owner of Sobeck Family Limited Partnerships. Rent is $1,600 a month which includes, sewer, snow removal and lawncare.

Records at Luzerne County Office of the Recorder of Deeds show the two-parcel lot was purchased for $80,000 by Sobeck Family Limited Partnerships from Anthony E. and Margaret N. Toluba in mid-August.

In the 1950s, the Toluba family ran a campground for motor homes on the lot during the height of Harveys Lake’s popularity, Sobeck said.

At that time, Harveys Lake, the largest natural lake in the state, attracted crowds of people to enjoy Hanson’s Amusement Park on Lakeside Drive and a variety of water activities.

Hanson’s closed in 1984 and more people established year-round residences in the borough, eventually limiting the general public’s access to the lake waters. The privatization of the lake had a negative effect on seasonal businesses which counted on the population influx during summer months. Tobula’s campground was one such business.

Sobeck estimates the property had been vacant for nearly 20 years.

Zoned as commercial, the location attracted Sobeck and his sons, Mike and Rich, because of its proximity to amenities in the Back Mountain and Wyoming Valley regions.

The units are similar to the duplex the Sobeck company built on Warren Road in Dallas, Mike Sobeck said.

Each unit features a living room, kitchen with cherrywood cabinets and stainless steel appliances that open into a dining room. Each unit will have a stackable washer/dryer unit and three bedrooms averaging about 10-by-12-feet on the second floor. There are bathrooms on both floors and a total of 10 closets.

Cashing in on the country views, the townhouse units are staggered to let in more light, Mike Sobeck said. “The middle units have skylights in the (second floor) hallways to let in more light.”

Each unit will also have a 12-by-12-foot patio and five parking spaces, Mark Sobeck said. A three-hour firewall has been installed between each unit for safety and noise reduction.

“We were required to have a one-hour firewall,” he said.

Lakeway Village Townhouses are slated for completion in January.

According to Mike Sobeck, rental interest is building.

“We hope to sign (renters) to three units next week,” he said.

A photo of the former campground where Lakeway Village Townhouse rentals is currently located on Route 415 in Harveys Lake Borough.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_FullSizeRender1.jpg.optimal.jpgA photo of the former campground where Lakeway Village Townhouse rentals is currently located on Route 415 in Harveys Lake Borough. Submitted photo

Rich, left, Mark and Mike Sobeck of Sobeck Family Limited Partnership estimate Lakeway Village Townhouses will be finished in mid-January.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_townhomes1.jpg.optimal.jpgRich, left, Mark and Mike Sobeck of Sobeck Family Limited Partnership estimate Lakeway Village Townhouses will be finished in mid-January. Submitted photo

By Eileen Godin

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Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.