Dinner with a view? Timetable released on 9-story State College project with bar/restaurant
Residents and visitors to State College could see the opening of the proposed Town Centre Redevelopment Project — which includes a ninth-floor bar/restaurant with outdoor dining — as early as the fall of 2025, according to an early timetable released Tuesday.
Public details surfaced last week that showed the project, which centers on the downtown construction of a new nine-story building, had taken a crucial step forward with the recent submission of a preliminary land development plan. That submission revealed plans for two bars/restaurants, commercial space on three different floors, a 172-spot parking garage and a 160-room hotel on the 200 block of South Allen Street.
The project still needs to be formally heard Thursday by the planning commission, and it requires a formal exception from Borough Council on June 5 (involving the lack of residential housing). But, if everything goes according to plan, officials released a preliminary timetable Tuesday that showed a proposed construction start date of January 2024 with the anticipated building opening set for September 2025.
The new 95-foot building would wrap around the Jeramar Building (228 S. Allen St.), which houses businesses such as Cozy Thai and The Sign Factory. The developer is Highland Holding Group, which is based in State College.
According to the preliminary plan, a bar/restaurant on the ninth floor would have an opening to two terraces for outdoor dining. The terraces — which combine for 3,190 square feet — are about 75% the size of the indoor bar/restaurant itself. (For comparison purposes, a newer Sheetz store is typically between 6,000 and 6,500 square feet.) A bar/restaurant on the building’s lower level — below the first floor — would be just under 7,000 square feet.
Commercial space would also be available on the lower level (5,600 square feet), first floor (4,400 square feet) and second floor (3,900 square feet). It’s not yet known what specific bars/restaurants and businesses/organizations might fill those spaces.
The only business that was specified in the preliminary plan was Canopy by Hilton, which intends to take over the 160-room hotel, with rooms on Floors 4-9. This particular Hilton brand, announced in 2014, boasts more than two dozen locations in the U.S., in cities such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It is characterized by an orange color, canopies over the beds that are “inspired by the neighborhood” and an overall design theme intended to reflect each unique neighborhood. Most — but not all — Canopy by Hilton locations also welcome pets.
Officials said Tuesday the parking garage is only for hotel guests and staff.
A final land development plan will need to be formally approved before any construction begins. But that’s expected to be submitted by July 27, based on details discussed publicly at Tuesday’s design review board meeting. A traffic impact study is also underway.
More details could become available at Thursday’s public planning commission meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building’s Council Chambers. The meeting will also be streamed online via Zoom.
