Will the Bellefonte Waterfront Project start this year? Developer gives update

Construction on a highly-anticipated — and long delayed — project in the heart of Bellefonte could finally begin this summer if a few remaining hurdles are cleared.

Project developer Tom Songer of the Torren Group wrote in an email to the Centre Daily Times last week that the Bellefonte Waterfront Project, which has been in the works for about eight years, could finally break ground “sometime in July or August.”

He initially hoped to put the project out for bid in January, but that timeline was again pushed back.

“We expect to go out for bids for the parking garage within the next 30 days,” Songer wrote. “It will take approximately 14 months to complete the construction of the parking garage, hotel and sitework.”

Development plans for the project were approved last June, and show two buildings to be constructed in the grassy parcel of land above the Spring Creek, between West Lamb and West High streets. Originally, three buildings were proposed, but revisions to that plan were approved by the council last March.

The first building will be a 268-space parking garage with around 33,000 square feet of commercial space, and the second building will be a six-story, 93-room, nationally-branded boutique hotel, complete with a farm-to-table restaurant and a rooftop lounge.

Additionally, 48 condominium units will be built atop the garage following its completion. The condos will be advertised when the garage’s construction begins, and the owners of the condos will be able to customize the interiors of their homes.

Songer wrote last week that he has seen “a lot of interest” in the 33,000 square feet of commercial space, adding that it’s his goal to fill some of that space with a grocery store, given that Bellefonte Borough is currently without one.

“We expect the operator of the grocery store to have a relationship with the local agricultural community,” the developer wrote.

At one point, the borough was optimistic that the first phase of construction would begin in spring 2019. Then it was 2020, at least until the coronavirus pandemic unfolded. As time passed, the developers were also hopeful it would begin in summer 2022 or spring 2024, but state funding issues led to further delays.

Now, a few final hurdles still remain to be cleared before the project can officially begin, including securing the final financing for the parking garage’s construction.

After landing $600,000 in state funding in January for the transformation of Dunlop Street into a through-street, and for the construction of a brick promenade, Songer is still continuing work with a local lending institution to secure the parking garage’s funding.

“Obtaining financing for a private parking garage is challenging because of the increased construction costs since COVID,” Songer wrote. “Our design team, which consists of our architect, design engineers and project managers, have value engineered the parking garage design, and we are optimistic that we will receive a commitment to finance the construction of the parking garage from a local lending institution within the next 30-45 days.”

The other remaining hurdle is the finalization of property transfers that would allow Dunlop Street to be transformed. It was shared at a Bellefonte Borough Council meeting in December that the borough must vacate the portions of Dunlop Street it owns so that the street can be constructed and maintained in its entirety by the Bellefonte Waterfront Associates.

Songer said then that the easiest way to proceed is for the borough to vacate the two ends of the street that the borough owns to the adjoining three property owners. Then those property owners would grant an easement to Bellefonte Waterfront Associates to own and maintain the street, with the caveat being that Bellefonte Waterfront Associates pays for all costs to construct the street and all future costs relative to maintaining it.

Songer wrote to the CDT that he and Mark Morath, a fellow project developer, are working to iron out some of the final hitches of that property transfer, although it remains unclear when that transfer will be completed.

“Mark and I appreciate all the support we have gotten from the Bellefonte Borough staff and the local community,” Songer wrote. “Our main goal is that the proposed Bellefonte Waterfront Project will benefit the greater community and support existing local businesses. We look forward to bringing the Bellefonte Waterfront Project to fruition.”

Some Bellefonte Borough Council members previously expressed frustration with the project’s delays. When asked about the updates during Monday’s council meeting, some shared cautious optimism, with council member Randy Brachbill saying, “I’m going to keep my fingers crossed.”

“That’s the most progress that we’ve heard in a long time, that’s all good news,” council president Doug Johnson said.