JESSUP -- People who live and work in Lackawanna County's mid-valley may soon be seeing some new development that economic officials say will bring more workers into the area.
People in Jessup may have noticed that a few acres of trees were leveled last week along Route 247. Officials with the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce say the work is the first step in developing a new plaza that's intended to bring more businesses to Jessup.
Drive along Route 247 in Jessup and you'll notice that a patch of woods on once-lonely Moosic Mountain has been cleared. The trees were cut down late last week to make way for more business on the mountain.
The land is owned by the chamber of commerce and sits across the road from one of the chamber's biggest recent ventures: two business parks.
Officials say this latest project is a commercial plaza. They plan to pitch the place to hotels, restaurants, day care centers, and gas stations.
Chamber officials hope the plaza on Route 247 will be an asset for people who work at the business parks and for bringing in new businesses. A few buildings in the business parks have sat empty for years.
There are already about 15 businesses in the Jessup Small Business Center and a few others in the Valley View Business Park. None of the employees wanted to talk on camera but told us they would like a convenient place to get lunch, get gas, or drop off their kids.
"You have a lot of people who are from out of town who would need lodging, or families where both parents work with child care and stuff like that," said Rebecca Sheroshik of Olyphant.
People who not only work in Jessup, but call the mid-valley area home are encouraged by the development on Route 247. The borough doesn't have a hotel or chain restaurants and people think it's time.
"I think there's enough people travelling through the area that that will benefit, but then there's also the local population in town that looks to get out a little bit and something on the mountain would be great," said Merrick Kacer of Jessup.
Officials with the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce say they'll start building roads, and putting in utility lines on the site this fall. They say they don't have any businesses lined up to go into the plaza yet.