What’s happening with the massive Benner fulfillment center warehouse? What we know
A massive warehouse planned for Benner Township is getting “pretty close” to being able to start construction, a Centre County planning official said, though the company it will house remains unknown.
About a year ago, plans were submitted — then withdrawn and later resubmitted — for a fulfillment center warehouse in Benner Township. The plan that was previously presented during a Centre County Commissioners meeting in April 2022 showed the development of a 1,080,289-square-foot fulfillment center warehouse on 103 acres of land at the end of Penntech Drive in the Benner Commerce Park. It could bring nearly 700 jobs and be one of the largest private employers in Centre County.
In August, the land development plan was unanimously conditionally approved by the Centre County Planning Commission, with several conditions.
Chris Schnure, Centre County’s subdivision and land development planner, in a recent interview said that progress is being made on those conditions and gave some insight on when construction might start.
Will construction begin before winter?
It’s hard to pinpoint an exact time frame for when construction will start, Schnure said, but they are getting close.
The developer is anxious to get construction going and getting some of the earth moved before winter, he said.
“I think there’s a great chance that it will start before winter,” Schnure said.
The developer, SunCap Property Group, did not respond to an interview request.
What still needs to be done before construction can start? There are two different plans that are being reviewed simultaneously, he said. There is a lot consolidation plan, where three existing tracts of land will be consolidated into a larger, 100+ acre lot for the warehouse to be located on.
“That lot consolidation plan is getting very close to being approved,” Schnure said. That will need to be approved so the internal lot lines are eliminated and there is one larger lot to be developed, he said.
Because of the type of plan it is — which is a relatively easy proposal, Schnure said — it is only reviewed and approved at the staff level. It will need Benner Township’s zoning approval, which has been received by the township’s zoning officer, Schnure said.
In early May, he said it was just a matter of getting the plan signed by all parties and the accompanying deed for the consolidation plan when it gets recorded.
The planning commission conditionally approved the land development plan, so the developer has to meet those conditions before the planning commission will sign the plan, Schnure said.
The developer is working on those conditions and is beginning to get them checked off.
“One of the other conditions is ‘OK, when you meet a certain threshold of getting all those various approvals, then this office will issue the authorization to begin construction as a remaining condition for plan approval,’” Schnure said.
Construction can start when that threshold is met. After that, there will be a site inspection. Once the site inspection occurs and everything is acceptable, then the planning commission will sign the plan as approved, Schnure said.
Who is the end user of the warehouse?
The end user of the warehouse has remained a mystery and the developer is under a non-disclosure agreement.
In April 2022, then-Commissioner Michael Pipe said all that was known was that it’s a warehouse for e-commerce, and Commissioner Steve Dershem and area residents voiced concern about the unanswered questions.
“We’re all interested in who that end user is as well. But ultimately, it’s not necessarily the name on the side of the building that we care about as much as, do they meet the regulations that are in effect?” Schnure said.
