15 buildings with apartments and retail space proposed near University Park Airport
A large residential development has been proposed near the University Park Airport in Benner Township.
Christopher Schnure, subdivision and land development planner for Centre County, presented a preliminary land development plan for The Cascade during Tuesday’s board of commissioners meeting. The Cascade plan shows the development of 15 buildings, which is intended to house 148 residential units and 74 non-residential units, with other necessary infrastructure. The lot, 11R, is 15.7 acres.
On the agenda was a memorandum of understanding between the developer, the county and Benner Township, that states the developer agrees to reimburse the township for engineering fees. The board unanimously voted to put the memorandum of understanding on next week’s consent agenda.
The Cascade is proposed for the Airport Park subdivision, at the end of High Tech Road and along the western right-of-way of Crosswinds Drive, Schnure said. The 15 buildings will have an internal street system and stormwater management. The plan shows each building will have retail space on the bottom floors and apartments on the second and third floors.
More than 550 parking spaces are shown in the plan.
Benner Township’s zoning ordinance states the area is an industrial district, but it does allow mixed-use developments, as long as the bottom floor has either commercial or industrial uses, and the upper floors are residential, Schnure said. The elevation of the land starting at High Tech Drive and going back decreases, so the development will cascade down.
An area in Benner Township is being studied for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) that have contaminated the groundwater. The Cascade’s proposed location is inside the PFAS study area, but the state Department of Environmental Protection has indicated there are not any regulations that would preclude development in the area, Schnure said.
The approval authority for the actual plan is vested in the county planning commission, Schnure said. The commission meets 6 p.m. Tuesday; The Cascade is on the agenda. The developer will also present the plan to the Benner Township planning commission and the Benner Township board of supervisors, Schnure wrote in an email. The township doesn’t have final approval, but a county ordinance requires that the township signs the plan, he wrote.
Buchart Horn, the project engineer, submitted the plan on behalf of the developer Asif Khatri, owner of AAA State College Storage & Warehousing, LLC.
A church is also proposed nearby in Benner Township. The Cascade and a church are some of the new development plans for Benner Township; a massive fulfillment center warehouse at Benner Commerce Park was recently given conditional approval by the county planning commission.
