A Centre County developer is seeking a zoning change to allow construction of affordable apartments for older residents on the site of a former radio station headquarters in Patton Township.
HFL Corporation has a purchase agreement in place to acquire 160 Clearview Avenue, where it plans to build a 31-unit apartment building for income-qualified individuals ages 55 and older, according to a request from company engineer Chad Stafford presented at Wednesday night’s Patton Township Board of Supervisors meeting.
The property was previously home to Seven Mountains Media radio stations. Seven Mountains now operates out of the former offices of Forever Media, whose local stations it acquired earlier this year, on Park Center Boulevard in Ferguson Township.
The 2.5-acre tract, however, is currently zoned R-2 low density residential, and HFL is asking for it to be rezoned as R-3 medium density residential.
Located at the corner of Clearview Avenue and Waddle Road, the land is adjacent to the R-3 zoned student apartment complex The Bryn on one side and an R-2 district on another, with the commercially zoned Walmart across the street.
HFL is requesting that the property be considered an extension of the R-3 zoning, and Stafford wrote that the land’s past use has not been as low-density residential.
“Future development of the lot as an R-3 permitted apartment building will comply more with the neighborhood than the existing and past use,” Stafford wrote in the request. “The 2.5 acres of land size is not similar to the other houses in the surrounding neighborhood. The land tract is 3 to 4 times the size of the other single-family home developed lots.”
Supervisors unanimously agreed to refer the request to the planning commission for review.
“To me, personally, it just seems like an appropriate kind of development at that particular site,” Supervisor Dan Treviño said. “It does abut another R-3 zoned property and … the developers stated intent to develop rental units for 55-plus citizens and to make the property affordable … that is something we as a board of supervisors have really been promoting.”
Treviño added that the referral should ensure “surrounding residents that reside in the R-2 zones are aware of this rezoning request and have an opportunity to submit comments to the planning commission.”
Though specific details were not offered and would be presented with a land development plan, affordable housing typically requires specific rent limits set by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency based on household income, number of people in the household and number of bedrooms in the rental unit.
HFL and its affiliated entities have developed multiple affordable housing projects in Centre County, Evergreen Heights, an affordable senior apartment building currently under construction in College Township. Its other affordable housing projects include Pleasant Pointe and Limerock Terrace in College Township, Atherton Place in State College, Bellefonte Mews and a new 18-unit building on Cherry Lane in Ferguson Township.
