A new shopping center is in the works in Centre County. Here’s where and what’s next
With a plaza proposed for Benner Township, there could be a new place to shop and eat in Centre County.
The Centre County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to move forward with a memorandum of understanding for the preliminary development plan for the Benner Pike Shopping Center by moving it to next week’s consent agenda. Plans for the 15-acre lot — located at the intersection of Paradise Road and Benner Pike — include a grocery store and fueling area, two fast-food restaurants, a coffee/fast-food restaurant, an office/medical building and corresponding infrastructure.
The memorandum represents a three-party agreement between the developer, Benner Township and the county, with the developer agreeing to reimburse the township for costs associated with township engineers processing and reviewing the plan.
The proposal, designed by PennTerra Engineering, shows three different access points to the site, located at Paradise Road and two along Benner Pike. An additional traffic signal is proposed for Benner Pike, near the Bellefonte Lanes property, but traffic engineers are still examining how the site would impact flow around the area. A sidewalk is also proposed for the Benner Pike to accommodate pedestrians walking to and from the development.
“This is a preliminary land development plan — not final — so there (are) still conversations to be had in terms of the developer and PennDOT,” Commissioner Michael Pipe said. “So I think we’d be keenly interested in what this is going to look like.”
Christopher Schnure, county subdivision and land development planner, said the developers have not disclosed the names of retailers for the site. The preliminary plan includes parking designated for “Giant Direct” — the supermarket chain — but the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposed development.
“I think ... this is a recognition of the continued growth, steady growth of the greater Bellefonte area, that Bellefonte is now going to have two pretty good-sized supermarkets right up close to the town, definitely within the greater Bellefonte region,” Commissioner Mark Higgins said.
In September, the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County announced that 15 acres of land next to Bellefonte Lanes would be converted from an untaxed, state-owned property into a “job-creating parcel.” The transaction was made possible with help from Gov. Tom Wolf, Centre County government, Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, and the state Department of General Services.
“This is probably years in the distance in terms of opening, but still, this is an exciting thing to see for our community,” Pipe said.
