From the exterior, the Pajama Factory belies what surprises are inside. “It’s all in my head for years what we want to do with this place,” said owner Ma
KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette The Pajama Factory in Williamsport on Thursday.
Over the years, the Pajama Factory has become a destination for artist lofts, exhibits, shows, a retail coffee shop and more recently residential apartments.
But as the owner Mark Winkelman tries to lease space in the building at 1307 Park Ave., he said negotiations with the city have stalled.
Winkelman said he completed 18 new studio units on the fourth floor all of which are pre-leased and ready for occupancy since Dec. 1, 2020.
“Negotiations have stalled as the city halted all construction until the parking lot is paved as per zoning ordinance,” he said. “We had hoped to work out an accommodation with the city.”
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A new $5.5 million Lycoming College music facility moved a step closer to actual construction in the East Third Street Old City Redevelopment area.
The City Planning Commission gave a positive recommendation for the college’s land development plan for the music hall to be built at 334 Basin St.
Recommending the land development plan with a 4-0-2 vote were: Harry Sechler, commission chairman; Chelsea Rawson, Cindi Eyster, Tony Nardi and Naomi Brown.
Commission members Chip Plankenhorn and William Rischar were absent. Two other members, Christopher Keiser and Matthew Vanaskie, abstained in the vote due to their conflicts of interest on the project.
It’s over but it’s not.
City Council passed a half-mill real estate tax increase and approved Mayor Derek Slaughter’s $29 million 2021 budget Thursday, but with an eye toward reopening the budget in January to see if further reductions to the size of tax millage increase can take place.
Council and the administration set the tax rate at 16.22 mills, but upon getting information from Norman Lubin, city solicitor, learned it had to before Feb. 15 to reopen, discuss options and adopt the reopened budget.
If nothing is done, the half-mill is $50 more per tax bill for households assessed at $100,000.
To reach a quarter-mill would require finding $217,000 more in reductions or a combination of revenue or cut in staff, Council President Randall J. Allison said.