Residents of the Holmes Foster neighborhood came out in force to Monday’s meeting of the State College Borough Council to oppose some proposed changes to the Holmes Foster Park on Sparks Street.
Borough council heard a presentation in July from architectural consultants laying out some possible upgrades to the park, including planting additional trees and vegetation, rotating the parking lot to open up additional space for the park and installing additional paved pathways.
But nearby residents decried these ideas, raising concerns about the necessity and cost of many of these changes. Neighborhood resident Peggy Hartman said she appreciates the “quiet, gentle, natural” atmosphere at the park, which she would hate to see disrupted through any changes outside of “a few sensitive upgrades.”
“The outside consultants who worked on this project were very attuned to doing something new and attention-grabbing,” said borough resident Richard Eckhardt. “…but this is exactly the opposite of what the neighborhood people wished for.”
Other residents raised concerns that some of the proposed changes, especially rotating the parking lot, would be an unnecessary cost and irresponsible use of public money.
Borough council also passed a resolution officially opposing a proposed bill in the state legislature. The proposal — known as House Bill 809, proposed by republican representative Susan Helm — would prevent municipalities from using zoning ordinances to limit where college students can live.
Although council member Evan Myers said he feels limiting student housing options is “somewhat discriminatory,” he also acknowledged that there are “real issues” between students and long-term residents that can only be addressed through zoning ordinances.
“The efforts by our communities and neighborhoods to stabilize the neighborhoods and continue to have owner-occupied housing, not blocks and blocks of student rentals, demonstrates exactly why we need these ordinances,” said council member Theresa Lafer.
Borough resident and candidate for borough council Jesse Barlow also spoke out against House Bill 809, calling it “a terrible practice by the legislature to preempt our local laws.” Another borough resident, David Stone, also criticized the proposed bill as “interfering with the educational mission of our community.”
Borough Manager Tom Fountaine also noted that at least one other Pennsylvanian college town has adopted a similar resolution opposing the bill, while three others are considering similar resolutions.
