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UPDATE: Some Neighbors Want To Stop Low Income Housing Complex

WILKES-BARRE — Contractors have started tearing down an old hospital in Wilkes-Barre to make room for a new housing complex. A corner of the former First ...

WILKES-BARRE -- Contractors have started tearing down an old hospital in Wilkes-Barre to make room for a new housing complex.

A corner of the former First Hospital building in the Rolling Mill Hill section of Wilkes-Barre has already been torn down.

One group of neighbors now plan to file a lawsuit against city zoning officials, hoping to stop this project.

A development company released renderings of the 56 low-incoming housing units that it wants to build on this land.

UPDATE: Some Neighbors Want To Stop Low Income Housing Complex

That developer says the apartments would be affordable but not federally subsidized.

It's expected to take several days to demolish the former First Hospital.

Gary Gould told Newswatch 16 that he used to work inside the hospital, and he's glad to see the vacant building go.

"I got a little teary eyed this morning, buts its all for the best," said Gould. "The troublemakers, they said that’s not going to happen because they’re going to interview people really good... I want to believe them."

A frustrated neighbor who did not want to be identified said he and several others will take their case against zoning officials to court to stop this project.

"We were spoon fed a lot of lies," the man said. "We do not want this in our neighborhood. We got neighbors together and we do not want this. Just move out of there."

Jasper Bryant lives nearby the project and told Newswatch 16 that he's excited to see more affordable housing in Wilkes-Barre, but he wishes that the old hospital would have been saved.

"I know a lot of people in the neighborhood that were born there, worked there and everything," said Bryant. "I think they could have done something better with it rather than putting a project in."

A representative of Wyoming Valley Health & Education Foundation, which owns the property, said it will take this appeal to court.

Housing Development Corporation MidAtlantic said it is still moving forward with plans for the complex, but construction is at least one year away.

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