Parkway Eyesores: Abandoned Vestal Pizza Hut, Friendly’s Sites

The out-of-town owners of a couple of closed restaurant buildings on the Vestal Parkway still won't say what they plan to do with the blighted properties.

The abandoned structures that had housed the Friendly's and Pizza Hut restaurants  in the town of Vestal continue to attract vandals.

The buildings are owned by Visions Hotels of Corning. The company acquired the former restaurant properties for $1 million before it opened a Tru by Hilton hotel just west of the site in 2019.

There was cause for some optimism early last year when Stephen Donnelly, then a member of the Vestal town board, suggested in a social media post that a Dairy Queen would be coming to the site.

But nothing positive has happened at the former restaurant buildings since then - simply more incidents of trespassing and vandalism.

Donnelly said on Monday he hasn't heard anything new about a possible Dairy Queen restaurant at the site, although he believes the prospective project hasn't been scrapped.

Maria Sexton, the Vestal town supervisor, said "it would be wonderful" if a Dairy Queen or some other restaurant would set up operations at the property next to the hotel. She said she has not heard any specific plans for the site.

One person who claims to be familiar with plans for the property has just said there "definitely" will be a Dairy Queen project developed at the site next year. The person said people interested in opening a new restaurant there have visited the property recently to assess the site.

"For Lease" signs which had been displayed on the property no longer are posted there. But new signs have just been posted at the site warning that trespassers will be prosecuted.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.