Student-housing plans proposed for College Township and downtown State College will take a spotlight as State College Borough Council assembles Monday.
First up will be a rezoning request for 254 E. Beaver Ave., in the downtown. That address, at the Locust Lane intersection, marks where HFL Corp. wants to build a student-apartment building.
But current zoning there won’t allow for such high-density development, so HFL has sought a rezoning measure to enable its vision.
Company representatives and borough officials have gone back and forth over rezoning nuances for the better part of two years. The latest rezoning proposal tweaked by the borough Planning Commission would reclassify the south side of Beaver Avenue from 254 E. Beaver Avenue — at Locust Lane — to Garner Street with a residential-office-overlay designation.
For all future development in that area, the designation would set at five stories the maximum building height. It includes density incentives for environmentally friendly design and underground parking; a mandatory 20-foot setback along Beaver Avenue; and a ban on ground-level residences along the thoroughfare. Language in proposed ROO designation also promotes mixed-use development.
HFL initially sought leeway for larger-scale development at 254 E. Beaver Ave., but faced resistance from some nearby Highlands residents and some borough leaders. Council members on Monday are expected to review Planning Commission feedback on the latest rezoning proposal; they may forward it to a public hearing that would be held in April.
Also Monday, council members are expected to take up discussion of The Retreat, a planned student-housing complex that would take shape just south of Waupelani Drive near O’Bryan Lane, adjacent to Whitehall Road. Designed to house more than 500 college students, the planned complex has won tentative approval from a divided College Township Council.
The bulk of the development would sit in the township, though a small portion would sit in State College borough, where it would be subject to borough code. Several concerned neighbors implored Borough Council members last week to do whatever they can to try to block the plans.
Council members agreed to take up the matter. Borough solicitor Terry Williams is expected to present Borough Council with a memorandum on the subject Monday.
The gathering, to include a work session and a regular meeting, is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. on the third floor of the State College Borough Municipal Building, 243 S. Allen St. A complete agenda is available via the borough website.
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