Hotels, expansions and more: What’s happening at these Centre County construction sites?

With fall and cooler weather right around the corner, peak construction season in Centre County is coming to a close, but there are still plenty of active work sites out there, some of which you may have been wondering about.

This year been one of steady progress for some major projects that are underway, including the Interstate 80/Interstate 99 interchange, the Happy Valley Casino and the Mount Nittany patient tower.

Not every project is as easily recognizable as the casino, for example, with the bright blue fencing that surrounds it in the Nittany Mall — there are other work sites that you may drive by that make you wonder what’s happening there, or longtime projects you’ve been looking for an update on.

We’ve rounded up a handful of those projects here. If you have questions about the sites, or if there’s one that you think we should include future stories, email jmichael@centredaily.com.

Amazon Fulfillment Center

Located on a 46-acre lot along Penntech Road in the Benner Commerce Park, work is ongoing for what’s going to be an Amazon fulfillment center and delivery station developed by the SunCap Property Group.

The site’s Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and stormwater requirements, along with an on-site inspection, were completed in the spring, and construction on the 125,000-square-foot warehouse can be seen when passing by Exits 78A and B on Interstate 99, toward Bellefonte or the Benner and Rockview state prisons.

Originally, when plans for a fulfillment center in Benner Township were unveiled three years ago, Amazon was looking at building a significantly larger, 1 million-square-foot building on a 102-acre parcel of land. But as those plans were withdrawn and re-submitted, the project size decreased.

While the cost of the project and its exact timeline has yet to be shared, Marc Heintzman, an Amazon regional public relations representative, wrote in an email to the CDT Friday that as the construction progresses, Amazon will work with “great local partners to keep the community apprised of updates, hiring initiatives and more.”

Heintzman also wrote that the center will create over 100 jobs when completed.

Advanced Powder Products

At 301 Enterprise Drive near Philipsburg, Advanced Powder Products is currently constructing a 29,000-square-foot, $7.47 million building that, according to APP Controller Andrew Shoop, is a rebuild of a production facility that was lost to a fire in February 2023.

Last December, APP secured two low-interest loans worth about $3 million to contribute toward the facility’s rebuild, which started earlier this year. When the new building — which can be easily seen along U.S. Route 322 — is completed, its main purpose will be to expand operations.

“We will be adding equipment and employees as we continue on our journey to becoming the best and the biggest metal injection molding company in the United States,” Shoop wrote in an email to the CDT.

Once the new facility is constructed, it’s expected to create 15 new jobs. The project will be completed in two phases, with the first ending in September, and the second ending in early- to mid-2026.

TownPlace Suites by Marriott

Construction on a new hotel at the corner of Fox Hill and Bernel roads in Patton Township began earlier this month, and is being developed by Nittany Valley Hotel Partners, LP — the name of a business partnership formed between Decibel Partners, LP and the Shaner Hotel Group.

According to a press release from the Shaner Hotel Group, the future 89-room TownPlace Suites by Marriott will offer “convenient access to University Park Airport and Penn State University” while setting “a new standard for accommodations in the region.”

Included in the hotel’s accommodations are fully equipped kitchens, flexible workspaces and comfortable living areas. The hotel will also accommodate both long- and short-term guests.

The Shaner Hotel group expects the hotel’s construction to last for 13-15 more months, with a completion date expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The hotel’s final land development plans were were approved by the Patton Township Board of Supervisors last May, but the brand was not revealed until late last month.

Penn State START Lab

A Penn State-owned lab in Ferguson Township is undergoing a $23.6 million expansion that will bring a number of new features to the building.

Located at 3127 Research Drive in the CATO Park business complex, the Penn State Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine (START) Lab at the Lydia Manson Building was built in 2012 to to perform airplane turbine aerodynamic/heat transfer studies and conduct research aimed at increasing the efficiency of gas turbine engines.

The lab’s expansion will include the construction of a 13,050-square-foot addition on the northern side of the building, a 7,990-square-foot storage yard and several other smaller additions, including an ADA-compliant concrete sidewalk, an updated parking lot, a new patio and a stormwater retention pond.

According to a March 2023 press release from the university’s College of Engineering, once the project is completed, it’ll allow for the lab to operate a new two-stage test turbine designed to help researchers understand the impacts of shrinking the turbine’s core, along with four new compressors, or machines that provide the turbine with high-pressure air.

Also included in the expansion are additional measures to mitigate noise coming from the facility — a problem that has garnered complaints from nearby residents in the past.

Penn State Communications and News Specialist Tyra McGarvie wrote in a March email to the CDT that the expansion would be completed in summer 2026. The university’s strategic communications department did not respond to an inquiry about an updated timeline.

Benner Pike hotels

The Benner Pike corridor has seen a boom in construction since 2020, with 10 chains having already built or submitted plans for locations along the busy roadway, including two nationally-known hotels.

A Tru by Hilton, located along the Benner Pike next to the G. M. McCrossin building, and a IHG Hotels and Resorts dual-brand hotel, located at the corner of Amberleigh Lane and the Benner Pike, both broke ground in June 2024.

The four-story Tru hotel will have 98 rooms and a 113-car parking lot. Eventually, a 12,000-square-foot retail building with five units available for lease will also be built on the grounds in front of the hotel.

The IHG hotel will include 107 rooms between its two brands, with one side hosting Avid Hotels, which focuses on shorter-term stays, and the other hosting Candlewood Suites, a hotel more geared toward longer stays, though rooms are available for shorter stays.

Originally, the completion dates of the Tru and dual-brand hotels were slated for this summer, but neither hotel is complete yet.

Candlewood Suites shared on its website that it would be accepting reservations for arrivals on or after Sept. 26, and the Tru by Hilton’s website state’s that the project will be completed in March 2026, and that reservations aren’t being accepted yet.