A new plan for a State College apartment building calls for one more level and twice as many units than when the project was first proposed three years ago.
The preliminary land development for The George apartment building on the 200 block of South Burrowes Street proposes a five-story, 20-unit complex with an adjacent, two-level parking garage, according to a presentation to State College Planning Commission on Thursday night.
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. The two lots, which are owned by AGL Limited Partnership, have already been consolidated
When plans were first submitted in 2022, the project, then known as The G, was to be a four-story building with 10 units and a surface parking lot. It also did not include any inclusionary housing units and instead the owner would have paid a fee in lieu.
“We were tasked by the property owner to see what opportunities using on-site inclusionary housing we could develop for the property,” Nate Hutchinson, of project architect Fernsler Hutchinson, told the planning commission.
The new plan designates two units for inclusionary housing, for which rents are determined based on restricted income guidelines. By making 10% of the total units inclusionary, the project can use incentives for the additional fifth floor and to reduce sideyard setbacks from 15 feet to 5 feet.
Plans include a total of 74 beds in 15 four-bedroom units at 1,250 square feet each, four 1060-square-foot three-bedroom units and one 760-square-foot two-bedroom unit with a tot
One four-bedroom apartment and one three-bedroom are currently designated for the inclusionary units, though that may change to a three-bedroom and a two-bedroom.
“Planning staff can work with the applicant,” Ed LeClear, borough planning director, said. “Most of our market data indicates that a four-bedroom is not something that’s attractive for an inclusionary housing unit.”
Hutchinson said he believed the property owner would be receptive to adjusting which units are inclusionary.
“Having them actually occupied is the idea,” Hutchinson said.
Planning commission member Zoe Boniface suggested that the building have movable walls to be able to reconfigure apartment sizes in the future in response to changes in the student housing market. Hutchinson said that while some walls will be structural, many will be movable.
In addition to five levels of apartments, the building will have a basement with bicycle storage, as well as furniture storage and mechanical systems.
Materials for the exterior of the building will include brick, simulated wood panel and fiber cement siding.
A small courtyard will separate the building from the parking deck with 48 spaces. The below-grade lower level will be accessed from Burrowes Street, while the above grade second level will have entry from F Alley to the rear. A wall will shield headlights from the property across the street, Hutchinson said.
“The nice thing about parking decks is that it reduces significantly the amount of impervious coverage and the presence of parking for the property,” Hutchinson said. “If it was all surface parking we would not have been able to do this many apartment units.”
Two additional surface parking spots will include one ADA spot. Conduit will be installed for future EV charging stations at the surface spots and in the deck, Hutchinson said.
A final land development plan will need to be submitted and approved before the project can move forward.
