Plans to replace two State College rental properties with a single, four-story apartment building are poised to move forward to final approval.
State College Planning Commission on Wednesday reviewed the final land development plan for The ‘G’ apartment building on the 200 block of South Burrowes Street. The plan is still subject to final staff review and completion of conditional requirements.
A two-story, five-unit apartment building at 245 S. Burrowes St. and a house with one rental unit at 243 S. Burrowes St. would be razed for construction of The ‘G’ apartment building on a consolidated .52-acre site near the West Foster Avenue intersection. The properties are owned by AGL Limited Partnership.
Plans for The ‘G’ have 10 four-bedroom units, including six with two baths and four with four baths. The developer will pay a fee-in-lieu instead of including the required one inclusionary housing unit within the building.
The first floor of the building will have a 585-square-foot study lounge, 286-square-foot bicycle storage room and 1,181-square-foot fitness center.
Accessible sidewalks will lead from Burrowes Street to the bicycle storage at the center of the building and from the rear of the building to the trash enclosure near F Alley.
A parking lot with 30 numbered and assigned spaces will be located alongside the building, with access from Burrowes Street.
Planning commission member Josh Portney inquired if a space could be designated for deliveries and ride share pickups. Borough senior planner Greg Garthe said adding any more parking to the limited site size would necessitate significant revisions to the plan.
Michael Pratt, of Keller Engineers, noted that additional signage has been incorporated to direct deliveries to the side entrance adjacent to the parking lot and should cause negligible inconvenience for tenants. He also said that the development will eliminate one existing driveway entrance, freeing up two on-street spots.
A traffic analysis found low additional trip generation from the new building, exempting it from a full traffic study, Garthe and Pratt explained in August, when a preliminary plan was presented.
Few notable changes were made to the building design since the preliminary plan, but Pratt said significant adjustments were made to the landscaping plan in consultation with borough arborist Lance King. Those included increasing the number of street trees from seven to nine and shrubs from about 50 to 80.
“I want to compliment you on improving the tree planting, both that you are replacing non-native with native trees and your attention to the concerns of long-term care for the landscaping,” Planning Commission Chair Zoe Boniface said. “Very much appreciated.”
