Centre County commissioners see plans for housing development, solar array. What to know
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- Commissioners approved two formal nonbinding MOUs for housing and solar projects.
- Zion Manor phase one will build 27 residential lots and three open space/stormwater lots.
- A 2.9‑acre solar array will be built on Charles Fisher’s Boggs Township farm.
After the Centre County Commissioners saw plans for two projects Tuesday, they approved non-binding agreements that allow the new housing development and solar array to move forward.
The formal non-binding agreements, or memorandums of understanding (MOUs), were approved unanimously by the commissioners following presentations by County Planner Chris Schnure. The MOUs involve the first phase of the Zion Manor housing development in Walker Township and a small solar facility in Boggs Township.
Both MOUs are between the county, the townships’ engineers and the projects’ developers. The county will ensure that the initial transaction reimbursements from the developers to the engineer are carried out correctly.
The first phase of the Zion Manor single family residential development in Walker Township will be located along Zion Back Road on an 18-acre parcel of land near Walker Township’s recreation lands, Schnure said in his presentation. The project will be developed by the Torron Group.
The first phase will see 27 residential lots and three open space/stormwater lots constructed, along with corresponding infrastructure, such as Ten Point Path and Buckskin Road — two of the development’s to-be-constructed streets — stormwater facilities, public sanitary sewer, public water supply, sidewalks and more.
The project will be carried out over four different phases, Schnure said. According to the Torron Group’s website for Zion Manner, the finished development will result in 75 single family detached homes. The site also states that the homes built there will range in size from 1,400 to more than 3,000 square feet.
Interested homebuyers will be able to choose between a one- or two-story home, homes with basements, homes built on a slab, first floor master bedrooms and more, according to the website. A future community center could include a fitness room, social room, full kitchen, restrooms, front porch and rear deck.
While a timeline was not provided for the completion of the development’s first phase, Schnure noted that work on the site would likely begin “as soon as possible,” likely sometime this year.
The planner also dropped some hints on when the neighborhood’s second, third and fourth phases could be completed by.
“Their anticipated schedule of development is calling for [the completion of] phase two roughly in August 2029, phase three in August of ‘32, phase four in August ‘34,” Schnure said. “Those timelines are just generalizations, just what the developer is hoping. They could speed up, or something could happen that would then push it our further.”
Schnure’s second presentation to commissioners was for a small solar array to be built by Boggs Township resident Charles Fisher on his farm, just west of Curtin Road’s intersection with Old Route 220.
The 2.9-acre, 790-kilowatt solar facility will be built solely to raise revenue for Fisher’s farm, by selling the energy the facility produces. This array is an example of agrivoltaics, or the simultaneous use of land for solar power generation and agriculture.
No timeline was shared for the solar array’s construction, and little discussion was had regarding either development. However, because each plan has already been approved at the municipal level, each project is cleared for construction — in other words, each business or owner can start construction once they’re ready.