WILKES-BARRE – One year after the Citizens Bank branch left one of the tallest buildings in the Diamond City, there’s a new plan and a new name coming to the high-rise.
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber says 72 luxury apartments will be built in six vacant floors inside the Citizens Bank Building on West Market Street.
Architects in Scranton told Newswatch 16 that the building will be renamed “The Bank”, and the apartments will be built on floors 5 through 10.
It is unclear how much the project will cost or what rent will be listed at, but architects said they hope to have the first set of apartments finished in a year.
Bill Jones works at the United Way of the Wyoming Valley offices on the fourth floor, and said that the apartments in the office building would be a welcome addition.
"Demolition of old walls and office fixtures coming out and going outside, we know that something is going on, but I haven`t seen the plans,” said Jones.
Some people in Wilkes-Barre told Newswatch 16 that their skeptical about people paying to live in upscale apartments downtown, but Glen Davies called it a smart idea.
"That`s great. If somebody wants to fix up an existing building and somebody wants to pay the rent and live here, people have to live somewhere. It`s called capitalism,” said Davies.
The building supervisor told Newswatch 16 that a lease was recently re-signed, and the iconic green Citizens Bank sign on top of the building will stay.