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| By Shari Sanger, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News Dec. 4--MOOSIC -- A Susquehanna County man was granted a height variance by the Zoning Board of Adjustments on Wednesday night, putting him one step closer to building a four-story hotel adjacent to the Shoppes at Montage. The plan -- which required a special exception from the board because it exceeds the maximum height of 35 feet as per the zoning ordinance -- has already garnered approvals from the county and borough planning commissions, but still needs to be voted on by borough council. At that time, D.J. Meagher of Keystone Hotel Partners can obtain permits to begin construction, Zoning Officer Jim Durkin said. Mr. Meagher said the hotel on Radcliffe Drive would be about 48 feet high, with 110 rooms resembling suites. He declined to say what the hotel would be called because he is still negotiating the "higher-end franchise." A newspaper legal advertisement for the meeting, however, said he wants to construct and operate a Marriott Hotel. No one from the public spoke in opposition to the plan Wednesday, but zoning board attorney Edward Pietrowski asked Mr. Meagher if he planned to supply his guests with maps for alternate routes for leaving the area via Interstate 81 and Route 502 because of traffic congestion during concerts and baseball games and from shopping and restaurants. "Right now there is a traffic problem, especially in the summer when there are multiple attractions on the mountain," Mr. Pietrowski said. While he hadn't given that much thought yet, Mr. Meagher said he would be willing to do that. "I want to make things as convenient and comfortable for our guests as possible," he said. Mr. Meagher plans to begin construction in March and hopes to open the hotel in the spring of 2010. Contact the writer: ssanger@timesshamrock.com ----- To see more of The Times-Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |
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