SCRANTON, Pa. -- A zoning board hearing grew heated in Scranton Wednesday night as neighbors in the city's north end began learning more about an apartment complex planned for their neighborhood.
They're questioning the developer's plan for the influx of traffic.
"The Hollow" is an appropriate name for this part of north Scranton. Buried by trees along Leggett's Creek, this section is home to about a dozen families now.
But, Hollow Avenue is the proposed access point for an apartment complex planned for a 19-acre plot of land in north Scranton.
"My main concern is the access. When you look at 250 apartments, 500 cars, two trips a day, that comes out to about 2,000 cars a day. As you can see by the roads here, it won't be able to handle that," said Bill Moran.
Moran has lived in the hollow most of his life. He was part of a group of neighbors whose tempers flared at an informational meeting at city hall about the project.
Plans for the project have residents of the complex's 250 apartments using Hollow Avenue to get in and out.
But, the way in and out now is over a bridge with a nine-ton weight limit.
Several years ago, the city's DPW built an access road. It's the only way for garbage trucks and emergency vehicles to get to the hollow.
"You're looking at a million dollars or more just to repair that bridge and I don't know where that money is coming from. I guarantee I don't want it coming from my pocket," Moran said.
Residents think a complex as big as the one proposed is too big for the neighborhood to handle.
"I'm not against development, what I'm against is a development that's irresponsible. I'd like to see a development that fits in with the neighborhood, not something that takes what we developed as a neighborhood and destroys it," Moran added.
The owners of the land said at last night's meeting they might consider changing these plans.
The apartment complex still needs approval from Scranton's zoning board and planning commission.