Fencing is up and construction vehicles are moving into place to begin work on a new student housing complex at the eastern end of Westerly Parkway Plaza and along Waupelani Drive in State College.
The Retreat at Westerly will include 142 townhome and garden-style units with 546 beds on the 11.2-acre site. Landmark Properties, which is developing the project in partnership with investment firms Golden Primera and Peninsula Investments, first submitted a land development plan for the long-discussed complex in 2024.
“The Retreat at Westerly will be the newest cottage-style housing product in the State College market by over half a decade,” Jason Doornbos, chief development officer for Landmark Properties, said in a statement. “The expansive site enables the inclusion of a wider range of amenities than what’s typically feasible in infill locations. These factors, paired with continued enrollment growth, positions The Retreat to meet the need for students seeking spacious, highly-amenitized living near campus.”
Construction is expected to be completed for occupancy in the fall of 2027, a Landmark spokesperson said. Leasing will begin in the fall of 2026.
Two commercial buildings, which have grown dilapidated over the years as tenants departed in anticipation of the new development, will be razed for the project, which will also incorporate the empty field behind the plaza on Waupelani Drive. The west side of the plaza that houses Weis Markets, Crunch Fitness and other businesses, as well as the Toasted Bagel Cafe building, will remain.
No new commercial space will be included in The Retreat at Westerly, and the developer will pay a fee to the borough in lieu of including affordable housing units on site.
According to Landmark, a 10,500-square-foot clubhouse and amenity area will include a resort-style pool, pickleball court, sauna and cold plunge, Jumbotron, study lounges, fitness center, grilling and fire pit areas, multisport simulator, and additional greenspace for outdoor recreation.
Units will have quartz countertops, stainless-steel appliances, hardwood-style laminate floors, in-unit laundry, private baths for each bedroom and Wi-Fi enabled thermostats. Each will be fully furnished and will be wired for high-speed internet and cable.
Parking for 417 vehicles will be included on site, along with storage for bicycles and scooters and a CATA stop. A Landmark representative said at a State College Planning Commission meeting in 2024 that based on a market study and talking with local student housing managers that the expectation is most residents will use public transportation to get to the Penn State campus.
Entrances and exits to the property will be from Westerly Parkway and Waupelani Drive and a right-out exit only will be located at the corner of Waupelani Drive and O’Bryan Lane.
Landmark currently owns and operates four student housing complexes in the State College area: The Station, The Legacy, The Metropolitan and The Standard. The company developed and later sold the original The Retreat — recently rebranded as Brexx at State College — across Waupelani Drive from the new project.
It also submitted final plans earlier this year for The Mark, a 12-story mixed-use building to be constructed at the corner of East College Avenue and Sowers Street.
