Sordoni group to build mixed-use retail development on Offset Paperback site

DALLAS TWP. — Matt Sordoni, President of Sordoni Properties LLC, said the company recently purchased the former Offset Manufacturers plant and property and intends to bring a “mixed-use retail essentials development” to the historic site.

Sordoni said Fernbrook Commons 1 LLC is the holding company that was utilized to make the transaction. The purchase was finalized on April 24, Sordoni said. The purchase price was listed as $5.5 million, according to Luzerne County records.

“Sordoni Properties LLC is very excited to be the new owner of the former Offset Paperback Manufacturers site in Dallas Township, Pennsylvania,” Sordoni said. “We are calling the 16-acre redevelopment ‘Fernbrook Commons’ at this point.”

Sordoni said he and company officials listened to the residents of Dallas and are exploring options for the site that include grocery-anchored retail, a convenience store including fuel, a fitness center, dining experience facility, medical offices and educational space.

“The property has great potential for outdoor community activities as well,” Sordoni said. “As members of the Back Mountain community, our owners and partners understand the importance of, and the need for, this crucial development for the growth of the community.”

Sordoni said the site was once a cornerstone of the local economy, employing nearly 1,000 workers at its peak.

“Sordoni Properties is dedicated to preserving this legacy by creating new opportunities for employment and community engagement through the redevelopment,” Sordoni said. “The Sordoni Family has a long history with the property with Sordoni Construction having been the original builder of the Bloomsburg Mills plant in 1948.”

Sordoni said the site is challenged by decades of heavy industrial use and will need extensive and costly remediation to be brought back to life, while protecting the onsite wetlands and beautiful Toby Creek. He said the buildings on-site will be taken down to clear the way for construction of new buildings. He said the site will also require some environmental remediation work.

Sordoni said four nationally known grocery companies have expressed interest in locating a store in the new development.

“We look forward to working with all of the stakeholders in the Dallas community — including our elected officials — to deliver the needed amenities for the Back Mountain to continue to thrive,” Sordoni said. “This project will put the property back on the tax roles and increase employment. As far as what exactly will be in the development, the tenants will determine that.”