Apartments, retail and more: 5 development projects taking shape in Centre County

From a demolished office building making way for student apartments to a long-vacant motel site getting new life, a number of development projects are in the works in Centre County. Plans range from drive-thru coffee chains to a long-awaited outdoor performing arts stage in Bellefonte.

Here's a look at updates from stories we’ve reported this month:

• A former office building at 734 S. Atherton St. in State College has been demolished to clear the way for a four-story mixed-use apartment building with 126 units and 195 bedrooms, plus about 28,000 square feet of commercial space and 209 underground parking spaces. The project, originally approved in 2022, was revised in April 2025 after the property changed hands, and construction cannot begin until Borough Council grants final approval and developers secure permits.
• A developer recently resubmitted a preliminary land development plan for the former Autoport property along South Atherton Street, calling for a convenience store with a 14-pump fuel canopy, retail spaces, restaurants, a bank and a Starbucks across four phases. The Autoport plan is scheduled to be reviewed by State College’s design review board in July. The historic motel site has sat vacant for more than a decade after closing in December 2015.
• 7 Brew has submitted a preliminary land development plan for a new drive-thru franchise at 1272 N. Atherton St. in Ferguson Township, the former site of Mario’s Italian Restaurant that closed in 2017, with plans potentially reaching the township planning commission in late July or early August. The former Mario’s building is being demolished.
• Verizon and Jersey Mike’s have signed leases to join a redeveloped shopping plaza at the former Rite Aid building at 821 E. Bishop St. in Bellefonte, where a Dunkin’ previously agreed to lease the end cap space and hopes to open in the second half of 2026.
• Bellefonte Borough Council voted 8-1 June 15 to conditionally award two construction contracts totaling $925,999 for the Stage at Talleyrand Park project, which could break ground as soon as July pending final permitting.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.