About five months after developer John Basalyga purchased Coney Island Lunch, a local architectural and design firm is drafting plans for the future of the property on Lackawanna Avenue.

“We hired Fancy Parsley, and Michael Muller is working on drawings right now,” Basalyga said. “Once they’re done, we’re going to submit them for construction.”

He anticipates starting the project — which will include building an ice cream stand on the vacant lot next to the restaurant — next year.

“It’s probably a six-month project once I start,” Basalyga said.

Basalyga aims to preserve the essence of the restaurant while giving it a fresh look.

“We’ve been taking some of the memorabilia down and cataloging it,” he said. “We’re trying to put it together so that it feels like you’re walking into a very similar feeling to what it was before.”

A frequent visitor of the downtown Scranton restaurant as a child, Basalyga understands the importance of keeping intact the core characteristics that were established by former owners Pete and Bob Ventura.

“I have the exact recipes ... that’s what Coney Island is and that’s what Coney Island will be when I do it over,” he said. “We’re going to add certain things to it because after so many years everything needs a refresh. But when you walk in, it’s going to have the long bar with seats around it and the booths like they used to have.”

Basalyga, a staunch proponent of downtown development, couldn’t stand to let the beloved business at 515 Lackawanna Ave. go away for good.

“I’ve known Pete and Bobby and I’ve known their family for a long time, and I always liked them and respected them,” he said. “They approached me when they were closing, which I’m glad they did. Nobody wants to see a 100-year-old business closing and if I can stop that from happening, I’m proud to be able to do it. It’s such a special little building. We’re going to take what has been done so great and continue it for a long time.”

In addition to adding apartment units upstairs, Basalyga envisions the outside of the building will feature a vibrant look to draw people to the restaurant — similar to the Art Haus marquee at Penn and Lackawanna avenues.

“I’m trying to do something really special with the outside to make it a landmark in the city,” he said. “This may even be a bit louder.”

Basalyga’s firm, JBAS Realty, purchased the adjacent vacant lot and outer western wall attached to the Coney Island Lunch building from the Scranton Redevelopment Authority in early December for $32,500.

JBAS Realty also purchased the Coney Island building from C.I.L. Associates and Robert and Peter Ventura in December for $300,000, according to a deed filed in Lackawanna County.

City Councilman Bill King appreciates Basalyga’s commitment to enhancing the aesthetic beauty of downtown Scranton.

“Architecturally, that building has a tremendous amount of charm and I’m thrilled that one of our largest developers in the city has taken it over,” King said. “I haven’t seen John Basalyga do anything halfway, so I think it’s a really positive thing for the city.”

King also stressed the importance of having a bustling business to complement the “The Office: The Story of Us” mural on the wall at 503 Lackawanna Ave.

“It helps to have something that is viable and lively,” he said. “I can imagine someone having an ice cream and observing the mural from there.”