The City of Scranton plans to improve infrastructure, provide a high-quality education from kindergarten to post-secondary and improve access to affordable and safe housing, among other goals, with a new economic development plan unveiled Thursday.
“This is our moment in Scranton. People are talking about us," said Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti. "Northeastern Pennsylvania is set to grow… we have to meet this moment with a courage and a fearlessness and that will take all of us working together."
The city partnered with Fourth Economy, a national community and economic development consulting firm, to create the Economic Development Plan. It was funded by grants from state and local organizations as well as $25,000 from Scranton’s Office of Economic and Community Development. Cognetti was joined by various business and city and community representatives at the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce Thursday to discuss the plan.
The plan aims to help the city achieve measurable, sustainable economic growth and improve the quality of life for residents.
Developing Scranton's roadmap for the next 10 years began in August 2021. City representatives engaged with more 1,000 residents as well as community and neighborhood organizations and leaders in business and government to assess the city’s problems and strengths and come up with solutions for the future. Cognetti said the plan also revealed a lot of stark realities about the city, including just how many residents live below the poverty line or rent homes or apartments.
The plan features 18 goals, among them closing the income gap between the median wage and livable wage and increasing access to high paying careers in a variety of ways.
Improving education is a big part of the plan. Jill Murray, Ph.D., President of Lackawanna College, served on the education task force.
“Our goal with this plan is to make Scranton as much an education destination as anything else ... for pre-K through 12, for higher education, for graduate school, and for post grad," Dr. Murray said. "That's exciting. And guess what? All attainable. All achievable. All doable.”
