A new fast-food restaurant could be coming to downtown State College. Here’s what to know
A fast-food chain is eyeing downtown State College as the latest spot to bring its chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw and Texas toast.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers hopes to open at 228 E. College Ave., which has been the home of the Anthym running apparel store and the Here State College leasing office. It would be among the company’s first in Pennsylvania.
The business plans to spend about $1.6 million to renovate the 3,967-square-foot space on the first floor of the building, according to an application filed with the borough.
It’s unclear when the restaurant hopes to open, how many people it may hire or the length of its lease. A company spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
There are some procedural hurdles to clear before the restaurant potentially opens.
The building was constructed more than a century ago and does not meet the requirements outlined in a 1990 federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.
The company hopes to construct a new ramp that would align with the front property line. The borough requires unroofed steps to be at least 18 inches behind a front property line, something the company asked a borough board to reconsider.
The building would otherwise need “significant” structural and cosmetic changes, the business wrote in its application. A decision is expected during the zoning hearing board’s June 8 meeting, senior planner Greg Garthe wrote in an email.
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 4:40 PM.