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Dozens of commercial properties are among the 2,350 parcels slated for next month’s main first-stage Luzerne County tax auction, including one owned by the entity that oversees local business development, records show.
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund, an arm of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, is listed on the auction roster because it owes $117,155 in back taxes on the South Main Street building that houses the Barnes & Noble College Bookstore and Innovation Center.
Joseph Boylan, the chamber’s vice president of economic development, said Thursday the overdue payment stems from a “clerical error” and stressed the debt will be satisfied so the property won’t be listed for auction.
The back taxes date back to 2013 on the building, which is assessed at $2.15 million.
Properties are listed for the Sept. 24 “upset sale” if the owners owe taxes for at least two years.
Owners must pay off the debt, obtain court orders, enter into a repayment plan or file for bankruptcy to get out of the sale.
The chamber had land on Route 115 in Plains Township listed in the September 2012 auction but entered into a payment plan.
Also on the auction roster is the four-story Sterling annex on River Street, which is next to the lot that once housed the landmark Hotel Sterling and is owned by G2A-B Realty LLC, headed by George Asimakopoulos.
G2A-B owes $54,633 in back taxes dating back to 2012 and was removed from last year’s sale, possibly due to a repayment plan, records show.
Asimakopoulos had discussed with economic development officials plans to convert the structure to residential units with views of the Susquehanna River, but he has not publicly detailed his plans. He could not be reached for comment, but at least one official has said Asimakopoulos is holding off because the parcel has no parking. Development plans for the adjacent Sterling parcel will determine if parking will be available for the annex occupants.
Minimum bids at the first-stage upset sale are set high enough to cover all back taxes and municipal utility liens, which makes it less popular than the free-and-clear auction when all taxes and liens are forgiven.
Among the other auction-eligible commercial properties in Wilkes-Barre:
• H. Merritt Hughes Funeral Home, 451 N. Main St.
• A 0.1-acre lot at the corner of Beaumont Street and Pennsylvania Avenue owned by Robert and Jeanette Jabers that once housed a restaurant.
• A 56,600-square-foot former manufacturing building at 12 Oregon St. owned by several members of the Rockman family that had been pulled from tax auctions for years due to bankruptcies.
• A former taxi garage and office at the corner of South Franklin and Horton streets owned by 777 LLP that is now covered with graffiti and has a parking lot overcome by weeds.
• The Randy’s Printing and Decorating Center property at 516 S. Main St., which is owned by Randall and Sherry Rushton and now contains a for-sale sign.
• The former Taco Bell building, which is now a Subway, at 386 S. Main St. owned by Ferri South Main Street Plaza LP.
• An ivy-coated property at 335 E. Northampton St. that once housed Redick ‘s Wholesale Fruits and Produce and is owned by members of the Redick family.
• The shuttered Academy Super Market building, 121 Academy St., owned by BSE Properties LLC.
• An apartment building at 423 Scott St. owned by Michael Chiriac.
• An appliance store at 240 S. Main St. owned by BDL Company Inc.
• The Schuler Building, a brick commercial/residential structure, at 139 S. Washington St. owned by Arden Fahey.
• A brick building owned by Nicholas Tsioles on Market Street running from Washington Street to Public Square that houses a senior center, the Cheese Steak Factory, Golden Palace, Anthracite Newstand and other businesses.
• A parking lot at 25 E. Northampton St. owned by Northampton Streat PL LLC.
The Keystone Garden Estates, an assisted-living facility in Larksville, is back on the auction list. The property was removed from an auction in 2013 because the owner paid back taxes. The property owner now owes a combined $135,335 for 2013 and 2014.
Also on the auction roster:
• The “Budget Floorz” property on Mundy Street in Wilkes-Barre Township owned by PKOL Realty LP.
• A storage unit facility on Simpson Street, Swoyersville, and factory at 222 Beade St., Plymouth, owned by William C. Loughran Sr.
• Crossroads Shopping Center LLC’s same-named strip mall on the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township.
• The Penn State Seed Co. property, which is owned by Forty Fort LLC, on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort.
• Two mixed commercial/residential properties in the 400 block of Main Street, Duryea, owned by William Balchune and others.
• A commercial store on Sullivan Trail, Exeter Township, owned by Alravin LLC.
• Konefal’s Restaurant and Catering, Main Street, Edwardsville, owned by Sarah Konefal.
• A bar/lounge property on Route 118 owned by Bart and Doreen Schrader
Unsold properties will advance to a free-and-clear sale next year.
The county is holding an unrelated free-and-clear auction on Aug. 24 for properties that did not sell at a previous first-stage sale.
A list of available parcels and information on bidding is posted at www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com.
