Pittston Township
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Pittston Township is an outlying suburban community located in the northeastern corner of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The municipality, located equidistant to the larger regional cities of Scranton to the north and Wilkes-Barre to the south has been showing solid growth in the residential and commercial sectors over the past fifteen years as it continues to quickly evolve from a "stay-over" point for travelers along I-81 and I-476 into a prominent suburban community.
The township had a 2000 census population of 3,450 residents, which has grown to an estimated 3,466 as of 2003. The fastest-growing portions of the township are several new subdivisions, including Quail Hill, Gable Crest Estates, and Horizon Estates. Currently, a new Super Wal-Mart store is under construction, along with a Home Depot, and a few other national retailers looking to capitalize on the relatively-untapped Greater Pittston commercial marketplace by building on undeveloped land along Highway 315. The community is also home the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, which serves as the primary air traffic hub for the MSA. A local commercial real estate firm, Mericle, is currently developing "Center Point", a new several-phase commerce park spanning hundreds of acres near Highway 315. This venture will be the "first of its kind" for the entire region, with an "upscale" theme.
All of this positive growth does not come without its detrimental impacts, however. Critics argue that the continued growth of Pittston Township has stymied economic revitalization efforts of the downtown business district in nearby Pittston city. Also, traffic congestion along Highway 315, Oak Street, and I-81 is becoming a heated issue to many in the community, as traffic accidents have been on the increase in recent years due to poor infrastructural planning in relation to the growth.
As the housing market in the Poconos continues to heat up with interest from residents in New Jersey and New York, some of the newer developments in the township are also seeing their building lots being snatched up by people from these states as well, as people are willing to commute more than two hours each way to Manhattan in exchange for a better quality-of-life in Pennsylvania. This has resulted in an upswing of new construction in the residential sector of homes in the $250,000-$500,000 range, which are largely unattainable by most local residents. The township, overall, is a very important economic center for both Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties, employing thousands in its industrial parks and strip malls.
