Commissioners discuss Centre Crest parking

The Centre County Board of Commissioners at its meeting Tuesday discussed a project that will add more parking at Centre Crest Nursing Home in Bellefonte, even though Centre Crest is planning to move out of the facility in the next few years.

The proposed project increases the parking spaces from 142 to 212 and develops stormwater management facilities that will alleviate some of the flooding problems that have been occurring in and around the facility and neighborhood properties, said Bob Jacobs, Centre County planning director.

Given the capacity of residents and employees, the current spaces are “inadequate,” he said.

Commissioner Mark Higgins questioned whether adding more parking is a wise investment with Centre Crest hoping to move.

Centre Crest’s board of directors announced in July that a new nursing and rehab facility will be built in College Township, with an estimated price tag of $39 million, as previously reported. The 135,645-square-foot facility is scheduled to be completed by 2020.

Jacobs said the additional parking will help the county with the possibility of repurposing the building if the nursing home relocates.

It makes the site more attractive, said Commissioner Steve Dershem.

“This just enables us ... to re-utilize the site in some other way once they leave,” board Chairman Michael Pipe said.

The board offered its consensus to move the project forward. The county will be responsible for putting the project out to bid, as it leases the building to Centre Crest.

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 10:46 PM with the headline "Commissioners discuss Centre Crest parking."