College Township Commission Recommends Plan Approval for Furniture Store, Equestrian Facility

College Township Planning Commission on July 21 recommended conditional approval of final land development plans for a furniture store and a private equestrian facility.

The commission voted unanimously in favor of the plan for a Park Home Furniture store to be constructed in a new commercial park near Shiloh Road, and 4-1 for a horse training and exercise barn along Boalsburg Road in the Oak Hall area.

Members also heard an overview and offered comments for a minor plan to add amenities, including a pickleball court, at The Villas at Happy Valley on Dreibelbis Street.

PARK HOME FURNITURE

The Blair County-based furniture retailer plans to construct a 40,800-square-foot, one-story store on East Trout Road as part of phase 2 of the new Shiloh Commercial Park.

Located on a 3.63-acre lot at the southeast rear corner of the development adjacent to the Christ Community Church property, the store will have access from an extension of East Trout Road to be constructed. Its customer entrance will be at the front center of the building facing Shiloh Road.

A total of 82 parking spaces is required by ordinance, but the company is seeking approval for a reduction 76 spaces, with 72 standard parking stalls and four ADA-accessible stalls, distributed across the front and back of the site. Space is provided for the additional six spaces, if needed, but Mark Toretti, of project engineer PennTerra, said Park Home Furniture’s two other stores have an average of 47 spaces that adequately serve the properties.

Sidewalk connections will be built to the planned sidewalk along East Trout Road and to the UEC Theatres 12 property line on Premiere Drive.

A loading dock and customer pick-up area is located at the southeast rear corner of the planned building. Toretti said truck traffic is expected to be limited.

“This will not be a store that has stuff for delivery,” he said. “This is more just showrooms. Park Home Furniture has a warehouse that they bring all their furniture deliveries from.”

Public utilities will come from East Trout Road, and a regional off-site basin on the adjacent Clair property will manage stormwater, pending separate approval.

Shiloh Commercial Park is located on properties owned by Maxwell Truck and Equipment’s Ed Maxwell. The first phase of the park is the Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel currently under construction at the northwest end of the site.

The development has a total of eight lots, though no other planned businesses have as of yet been publicly identified.

OAK HALL EQUESTRIAN FACILITY

Owner Alex Sahakian is seeking to construct a 12,000-square-foot bank barn with an indoor riding ring for horses already on the property on the 1000 block of Boalsburg Road. The facility will not be open to the public

The plan includes underground stormwater facilities, with roof drains going into a catch basin for slow release of runoff aloong the steeply sloped site, Toretti said.

Neighboring property owner Gail Biddle said that given the steep grade of the site and tree removal, she is concerned about stormwater runoff into her farm and other neighboring properties, as well as Spring Creek.

“It’s very concerning, and then when you take all those trees away, now you’ve got this space for water to just run,” Biddle said. “I realize you were discussing the plan to hold everything in place, but it’s still a big concern… I would certainly want to be assured that it was addressed and would not be a problem for me.”

Township Engineer Don Franson said that staff determined the design meets requirements and concerns have been addressed, but noted that it still requires stormwater and erosion and sediment control regulatory approvals from the Department of Environmental Protection and Centre County Conservation District.

If any major changes are required for regulatory approval, the plan would come back to the Planning Commission for review.

Commission member Suleman Din, who was the sole vote against recommending approval, raised concerns about a requested waiver from requirements to construct a sidewalk as part of the development.

Township staff supported the waiver because it scored very low on the matrix used to determine sidewalk priority, with no other nearby sidewalks and challenging site conditions from the steep curve where it would need to be constructed.

Din, however, lives nearby and said the area “is becoming more traversed by non-vehicular pedestrians, particularly cycling enthusiasts.”

“I understand the technical challenges of it, but I dispute the idea that it’s not being used in a pedestrian’s by pedestrians going through that area,” Din said. “I see it all the time.”

THE VILLAS AT HAPPY VALLEY MINOR PLAN

Planning Commission also heard about a minor plan for The Villas at Happy Valley apartment and townhouse complex. While minor plans do not require a recommendation, it was brought forward for input because of potential neighborhood impact.

The property owners plan to add a pickleball court, walking paths, patio, pergola and a grill and fire pit in a space where volleyball courts are already located.

Noise from the pickleball court was the primary issue discussed. Project consultant Theo Thwing said planned landscaping would likely scatter the sound, but that an evergreen screeen could be added.

The court will be posted for players to use only soft paddles and soft balls to reduce the decibel level, Thwing said.

“I don’t know if there’s anyone that’s going to be out there enforcing it, but it’ll be posted,” he said.

He added that the court will be for daytime use only and will not have lights.

Din recommended that the fencing around the court have padding to reduce noise, similar to what is in place for the courts at Bernel Road Park.

That will be among the recommended mitigation measures in the staff comment letter for the plan, Lindsay Schoch, principal planner for the township, said.

Schoch added that land development review signs will be posted on site to notify neighbors of the proposal.

The final land development plans for Park Home Furniture and the equestrian facility will be subject to final approval by College Township Council.