SCRANTON — Consultants briefed Lackawanna County commissioners Wednesday on a comprehensive Montage Mountain economic development study that recommends improving transportation infrastructure and traffic circulation, expanding retail and tourism and bolstering marketing efforts.
The presentation and broader economic development plan are the product of a professional services contract commissioners approved in April 2024 with Philadelphia-based Econsult Solutions Inc., the consultant tabbed to undertake the study aimed at shaping the future of the regional commercial and tourist hub in Moosic and Scranton. Partially funded by a $100,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant, the study was meant to assess the mountain’s transportation, utility and infrastructure needs, vacant and underutilized buildings, developable land and opportunities for future investment, growth and transformative projects.
Visitors float down the lazy river at Montage Mountain Resorts in Scranton on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRPAHER)
Econsult worked with The Riddle Company and Kimley-Horn on the Montage project, with those firms informing the retail analysis and transportation and land use elements of the study, respectively. Representatives from all three firms addressed commissioners Wednesday via videoconferencing.
The voluminous plan summarizes factors working in Montage’s favor, it being home to a ski resort, concert venue, baseball stadium, cineplex and other tourism anchors; roughly 27% of the county’s total hotel room supply; high-value homes; favorable socioeconomic conditions; and open space, tree cover and aesthetic views that “enhance the marketability and value of current and future real estate.”
But it also faces challenges, including traffic congestion on days when the mountain hosts concerts or other events, retail and office space vacancies and sometimes-difficult topography limiting the availability of developable parcels.
The consultants highlighted six priority recommendations, from extending and expanding road capacity and implementing new and improved traffic circulation strategies to expanding retail and entertainment offerings that would complement existing amenities. The plan, which proffers 23 total recommendations, also describes marketing efforts as a critical priority. Officials should actively engage with regional and national retail-industry organizations and work to ensure the mountain is promoted as would-be developers and investors engage in site-selection, it recommends.
Railriders’ Spencer Jones steals second base as Buffalo’s Josh Rivera attempts to make the play at PNC Field in Moosic Wednesday, July 19, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“The story of Montage Mountain needs to be told not just regionally, but nationally,” Econsult Vice President Brian Licari said. “There needs to be these connections with … regional and national developers and brokers so they put Montage Mountain sort of on the map when they’re looking for sites.”
Regarding the traffic and congestion issues, the consultants recommended the possible widening of Montage Mountain Road to accommodate more vehicles and the potential conversion of an existing emergency access road into a permanent road. While infrastructure projects of that sort would take years, the study says the county should start the process by exploring potential funding sources and performing preliminary engineering and related work to ascertain probable costs.
It also says expanding tourism and visitation activities — brew pubs, distilleries and virtual golf opportunities are among the examples listed — would enhance Montage’s competitiveness as a regional shopping destination and help “capture a greater share of visitor and tourism spending.”
Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Chris Chermak were encouraged by the plan, with the latter optimistic it will help address traffic congestion, retail vacancies and other challenges.
“I do agree that we’ve got to take a hard look at Montage Mountain and I think this consultant is a very good start,” Chermak said. “We don’t want to see empty storefronts. We don’t want to see empty restaurants, so hopefully if things go well and we keep moving it will improve.”
A skier glides down to the bottom of the mountain at Montage Mountain Resorts in Scranton. (FILE PHOTO)
Gaughan, lauding the study, called Montage a regional anchor and one of the county’s signature destinations.
“This will give us a detailed understanding of current usage patterns, who’s visiting the mountain, how they travel there and what challenges they face,” he said. “And the data that was presented, and is presented in the full study, it’s not just numbers. It informs for the purposes of the county smart planning and targeted investments to enhance access, improve the infrastructure on the mountain and, most importantly, increase visitation.”
Gaughan also stressed the study won’t simply sit on a shelf gathering dust, noting plans to create a committee of officials from the county, its economic development department, the city of Scranton, the borough of Moosic, the Lackawanna County Convention and Visitors Bureau and potentially other stakeholders with a goal of implementing recommendations in the plan.
The full Montage study is available online at lackawannacounty.org.