State College building to be demolished for new mixed-use development

A building in State College will be demolished if plans are approved for a new development.

The building at 138 E. Beaver Ave. was most recently a CVS store, which closed in July after 23 years in business and could be the site of a new mixed-use building.

A proposal submitted by PennTerra Engineering details a seven-floor building. The first and second floors would include commercial and parking space, and the top five floors would have 55 residential units. The development was dubbed the Pugh Centre in submitted plans and is located at the corner of East Beaver Avenue and Pugh Street.

The existing building has student housing. It is unclear if the housing would continue to be for students if the site is redeveloped.

Submitted plans also do not indicate what commercial properties would occupy the first and second floors. Plans show that the first floor would have three tenants, with one occupying 2,600 square feet and the other two each having about 1,100 square feet. The second floor would include a fitness room, laundry room and lounge area.

Plans show 84 parking spaces on site.

The State College Design and Historic Review Board observed the plans Tuesday, and the plans will be presented to the borough’s planning commission Wednesday. Ed LeClear, the borough’s planning director, said the plans would be under review for several weeks and noted the submission “appears to meet the basic requirements of the zoning ordinance.”

This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 12:51 AM with the headline "State College building to be demolished for new mixed-use development."