Penn State To Buy More Property Along College Avenue

Penn State is looking to buy more land along West College Avenue near the former O.W. Houts property, StateCollege.com has learned.

The university trustees will vote Friday on whether to acquire acreage dubbed the ‘Kissell property,’ according to a meeting agenda. Penn State spokesman Geoff Rushton confirmed Monday that the property sits on the north side of West College Avenue and is near the former Houts department-store site, at West College Avenue and North Buckhout Street.

Houts, a State College landmark, closed in January 2008. Several months later, Penn State bought the 5.6-acre Houts property.

The university soon leveled the Houts buildings, though it has not said how the land may be put to use. Penn State was offered $3.4 million for the property, according to the university.

Rushton did not identify Monday the exact location of the Kissell property that’s on the trustees’ agenda this week. Nor did he say how many acres may be involved there.

Those details and other specifics will be discussed Friday at the trustees meeting, Rushton said. The meeting will be held on a lower level of the Nittany Lion Inn.

Last year, Penn State acquired from Craig and Kathleen Kissell a separate, 1.65-acre parcel near the Houts property. The university paid a reported $2.5 million for that land, at Butz Street and West College Avenue.

At the time of the purchase, Penn State announced that the acquisition would provide ‘future expansion opportunities’ but did not share specifics.

StateCollege.com will continue to follow the story this week and will post additional information as it becomes available.