College Township drops lawsuit after student housing developer makes overdue payments
9:45 a.m. May 6 update: College Township dropped its lawsuit May 2 after the company paid its outstanding balance.
College Township is seeking more than $285,000 from a student housing developer it said has failed to comply with the terms of its conditionally approved land development plan.
A company associated with developer Aspen Heights Partners has not completed or paid for more than $271,000 in costs connected to the Aspen State College apartments, 350 Squirrel Drive, township solicitor Louis Glantz wrote in the lawsuit that was filed Friday.
The township is also seeking nearly $14,000 in attorney fees and $500 per day in penalties until payment is made. The developer, Glantz wrote, has been in “violation of their land development plan approval every day of 2024.”
All items must be completed to “maintain health, safety and welfare” of the township’s residents, Glantz wrote.
The improvements include $100,000 for a future right turn lane, $75,000 toward a planned pathway connecting to the University Park campus, nearly $60,000 for paving and $35,000 for grading. Another $4,200 is required for the developer’s share of the workforce housing administration fee.
In a February letter to the developer and property manager Asset Living, Glantz wrote the payments were “seriously overdue” and made clear the township would pursue legal action if the invoices weren’t paid by the end of the month.
Messages left Wednesday with Aspen Heights Partners were not immediately returned. The lawsuit has not yet been assigned to a Centre County judge and no hearing have been scheduled.
The complex opened last year at the former Hilltop Mobile Home Park. It consists of two, four-story buildings that have 262 apartments.
This story was originally published April 10, 2024 at 12:40 PM.