Another new high-rise apartment and retail building could be coming to downtown State College.
St. Louis-based Collegiate Development Group has submitted preliminary land development plans to the borough for a possible 447,000 square foot building which would occupy nearly the entire block of West College Avenue and Calder Way between South Burrowes Street and South Atherton Street.
Borough planning director Ed LeClear said the space would include the land currently occupied by West College Realty, 312 W. College Ave,; California Tortilla, 322 W. College Ave.; Zola Kitchen and Wine Bar, 324 W. College Ave.; Golden Wok, 332 W. College Ave.; and two houses. Each of those buildings would be demolished.
The Penn State building on South Burrowes would not be part of the plan.
Called The Residences at College and Atherton, the plans call for a 12-story, 155-foot building with 232 residential units totaling 725 bedrooms. The first two floors would house retail, office and amenity space with the remaining 10 floors reserved for apartments.
The Residences would be about one and a half times the size of The Metropolitan, which is located directly across Atherton from the proposed site of the new building. The 540-bedroom Metropolitan is expected to open this year. LeClear said The Residences would be the tallest building in State College by a slight margin, but with elevation differences would appear about even with The Metropolitan.
The inclusionary housing units required by borough ordinance — totaling 31 two-bedroom apartments — would be included within the units and LeClear said the plans do not call for extra height allowed by the ordinance.
The plans have not yet undergone any borough reviews. Preliminary plans will be brought to the Design Review Board on Feb. 7 and Planning Commission on Feb. 8. A conditional use hearing would then be scheduled for Borough Council on Feb. 13.
LeClear said design and configuration plans may change during the review process.
‘We’re in the very early stages,’ LeClear said. ‘The plans haven’t had any borough input.’
After the conditional use hearing, council likely would discuss permitting on March 6 and make a decision on March 20. LeClear said no construction timeline has been established yet, but he believes CDG would be looking to have construction completed in time for August 2019 leases.
The Residences is the most recent proposal in a wave of new construction in downtown State College. In addition to The Metropolitan, construction began in August for another high-rise at the opposite end of College Avenue. The Rise at State College, located on the site formerly occupied by Kildare’s Irish Pub and a neighboring apartment building, is a 12-story, 140-foot tall building that will be occupied by a street-level grocery store, graduate and professional apartments and undergraduate student apartments.
A seven-story, mixed use building is planned for 260 E. Beaver Ave. The building that formerly housed Canyon Pizza at the site has been demolished as developers begin work on the new 98,000 square foot building, which will include first floor retail space, 40 apartments on the next five floors, and office space on the top level. Underground parking is also incorporated in the plans.
The long-awaited, 12-story Fraser Centre partially opened in October, with Target and H&M opening their doors. The 158-room Hyatt Place hotel, Federal Taphouse restaurant and bar, and residential condominiums are expected to open this spring.
CDG is making its first foray into State College, but has several projects in development or under construction in other college towns. The company has two mixed-use buildings planned in Ann Arbor, Mich., and additional projects in Knoxville, Tenn.; Clemson, S.C.; and Columbia, Mo.
A proposed new high-rise building would involve the demolition of five properties on West College Avenue. Photo: Geoff Rushton/StateCollege.com
