A State College developer on Monday night detailed plans for a proposed affordable housing project on South Atherton Street that has drawn concerns from neighboring residents over its encroachment on an adjacent public park.
Progress Development Group, an affordable housing-focused subsidiary of HFL Corporation, is looking to acquire 1306 S. Atherton St., the former location of RBR Recumbent Bicycles, and construct the 36,000-square foot, four-story Parkland Apartments building with 26-units priced for renters based on state and federal income guidelines, HFL Executive Vice President Ara Kervandjian said during Monday’s borough council meeting.
To do so, PDG has proposed a long-term lease with the borough to use “a crucial and necessary portion of Nittany Village Park,” which sits directly behind the Atherton Street property.
This story appears in the April 22-28 edition of The Centre County Gazette.
A group of residents are rallying behind a small park in State College after a developer announced plans to construct a four-story affordable housing development that would encroach upon it.
The site targeted lies at 1306 S. Atherton St., where preliminary plans call for a 9,300-square-foot building with 34 parking spaces at the former home of the Recumbent Bike Riders.
These plans then would encroach upon a large open field of Nittany Village Park, effectively taking space where kids now play ball and pet owners walk their dogs.
Residents, such as Jim Meyer, whose property borders the park, were made aware of the potential development last fall by State College Borough. Word of an April 17 meeting with those neighboring residents and the borough reached other members of the community, who then expressed interest in attending. Borough officials, expecting a large turnout, felt such a meeting could violate