Kohl’s-connected development showing momentum ... slowly

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It's been a long, slow road, but the city administration believes the William Street Redevelopment Project with a Kohl's department store is gaining momentum.

The latest development is a memorandum of understanding among the city and two impacted existing businesses. Mayor Gabriel J. Campana said he will follow up by contacting Kohl's officials personally and briefing them on the status of the project.

The "memorandum of understanding" (or MOU) was signed by Susquehanna Bank and Wegman's this past week and City Council bent its normal rules Thursday night and, without a normal review process, passed a resolution allowing Campana to sign the document.

That guarantees nothing about Kohl's, which first expressed interest in the city in late 2007 and has been a topic of overload proportions around City Hall ever since.

The MOU highlights the complicated project and its funding sources.

The city's obligations to Wegman's and the bank include about $1 million in construction assistance for the bank to move to a new site on the Wegman's lot and build a larger branch and for Wegman's to enlarge its store.

The city has committed $2.5 million in state revitalization funds for the project, which is structured as a $5 million city project with components that include funding from the Williamsport Parking Authority, the already approved acquisition of the Williamsport Area School District downtown service center at West Third and William Streets and the pending sale to the city for $680,000 of the bank's William Street drive-up branch.

During the discussion, administration officials were unable to provide a specific and final timeline about when the various components of the project will be under way or completed - another indication that a lot of work remains to be done on the William Street initiative.

The bank and service center properties both will be demolished, underground utilities relocated and fine tuning done to make everything fit with enough parking for all and a construction-ready pad for Kohl's.

With its regular meeting agenda, several executive sessions, a presentation on proposals to jump start the local economy from the mayor, and the addition of the memorandum issue, council had a long, busy night Thursday, spending almost four hours in session.

Council's decision to accommodate the administration's desire to get the memorandum signed as soon as possible was accommodated this time, but vice president J. Michael Wiley made clear it was not something he wanted to become a regular practice.

Council members and everyone else in the room looked worn out as the meeting wound down and Wiley touched a nerve with a parting reminder to the mayor to use the regular review process in the future.

"Let's not do it this way again," he said, prompting a reaction from Councilman Skip Smith, a Campana supporter of long standing.

"You've been spanked, mayor," Smith said, slapping a hand down on the table top in front of him for added effect; and Wiley responded to the remark by thanking the councilman for his comment.