Scranton looks to raze building where creek running underneath the property flooded again

Sep. 12—SCRANTON — The city filed an emergency petition Tuesday for court approval to demolish a condemned building at 501 W. Market St. The petition claims a buildup of debris from the weekend's disastrous flash flooding bottlenecked stormwater at the property and worsened problems in the immediate area in North Scranton.

A conduit channels Leach Creek under the vacant building, a former tool rental and repair shop at Yard Avenue. The property has been on the city's demolition list since March 20, 2017, according to the petition filed in Lackawanna County Court.

"As a result of the buildup of debris around the property located at 501 W. Market Street, Scranton PA 18503, stormwater was diverted into and around numerous homes causing significant damage," the petition says. "The city is concerned that any additional rainfall could cause worsening of these issues and/or damage to additional homes if the structure is not demolished.

Lackawanna County Court Judge James Gibbons will hear the petition Friday at 1 p.m.

The petition identifies the owner of the building as West Market Street resident Myron Loyola, who purchased the property Sept. 14, 2022.

Efforts to reach Loyola were unsuccessful.

A prior owner in 2020 received an eight-month window from the city Housing Appeals Board to restore the building. He took no action and later sold the building to Loyola, the petition says.

On April 30, Loyola filed a request for condemnation release from the city. On May 8, the city gave him an inspection report detailing the issues with the property, but no remedial action has since been taken, the petition claims.

"The property remains in condemnation, on the city's demolition list, and now serves as a threat to the immediate safety of nearby residents," according to the petition.

Leach Creek, an intermittent waterway, flows from West Mountain, conveying stormwater from highways and roads in the Keyser Valley area, and empties into Leggetts Creek, a short distance east of the intersection of West Market Street and Yard Avenue.

Along Yard Avenue, Leach Creek flows through an open ravine between Oak and West Market streets.

At West Market Street, a 5-foot by 10-foot conduit channels the creek under 501 W. Market St. The underground conduit turns on an angle and continues under West Market Street and empties out of a pipe on the creek bank.

The creek bank had been undermined and repaired nearly three years ago. On Oct. 16, 2020, the city received a complaint about debris blocking the sidewalk at 430 W. Market St., across from Yard Avenue. At that time, DPW crews clearing brush discovered a sinkhole, 4 feet wide and 20 feet deep, from an old, collapsed, corrugated-metal 4-foot-diameter pipe that carried Leach Creek under West Market Street. The city replaced the old pipe with a new, 4-foot-diameter plastic corrugated pipe.

Then on May 4, 2021, Leach Creek overflowed its bank when a storm dumped about 4 inches of rain in three hours. At that time, officials said the conduit could not handle the large amount of water in such a short time.

On Saturday, raging stormwater from flash flooding severely gouged out part of West Market Street in the area of 430 W. Market St., where a sinkhole had been discovered in 2020. This damage exposed the newer corrugated pipe and much older stone arch of the creek channel and its stone wall from many decades ago, as well as layers atop the stonework of dirt fill, concrete and asphalt.

The city has closed West Market Street to traffic in the area of Yard Avenue and cordoned off the gouged section of road with sawhorses.

During a visit to the West Market Street site Tuesday where the road and its bank are washed out, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said the city's emergency court petition is the only one contemplated so far for demolition of a structure related to Saturday's flooding.

"It's clearly a disaster situation and a real emergency, not just the creek bed and for the homes that are impacted, but the (West Market) street itself is shut down," Cognetti said. "We won't be able to rebuild any of this infrastructure including the roadway until that structure (501 W. Market St.), which has already been condemned, comes down."

Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185; @jlockwoodTT on Twitter.