Letters: State College needs zoning reform; County needs Balachandran as judge

State College needs zoning reform

Last week’s joint session between Borough Council and the Planning Commission was very informative. It clearly laid out how construction costs and rental prices combine to ensure that nothing but student housing will be built downtown. The rents currently charged for non-student housing here simply can’t pay for construction costs there. It was shown to be economically plausible to build 3+ story apartments in less dense areas of the borough where land is cheaper, but current zoning outlaws this.

Unfortunately, much of the meeting was wasted by council member Marshall’s interjections. His main point seemed to be that markets change so why change our zoning, but it was hard to tell. What changes would make new housing economic here? Drastic drops in materials costs, land prices, and construction worker wages? That sounds like a deep recession to me, not something to wish for.

Over 15,000 people commute into the borough most days. That includes 9 out of 10 of our workers. These commuters are wearing down our roads and filling our parking while not paying our property tax. This isn’t their fault though, it simply isn’t legal to build enough homes for these people to actually live here right now. That is why we need to change zoning. Legalizing dense housing will reduce the number of people who are forced to drive into the borough every day and allow more people to experience and contribute to the vibrancy of State College. We should do it.

County needs Balachandran as judge

Gopal Balachandran, my colleague on State College Borough Council, has declared his candidacy for the open position on the Centre County Court of Common Pleas. I endorse his candidacy with enthusiasm. Gopal is one of the best public servants I have worked with.

During the year that I have served with Gopal, I have observed how he makes decisions. He asks informed questions, is very deliberative, works with the issue at hand, and comes to an informed conclusion in a way that is rare and that makes him a pleasure to work with. That quality is exactly what we want in our judges.

Gopal has worked as a public defender in Philadelphia and leads the Criminal Appellate and Post-Conviction Services at the PSU Law School. Even though about 50% of the cases before the Court of Common Pleas are criminal, no sitting member of the court had comparable experience in criminal law before they took the bench.

I vividly remember a wonderful conversation with Gopal about the difference between how many think our system of justice functions and how it actually works. After that conversation, I strongly encouraged Gopal to run for this position. Although State College Borough Council will miss him, Centre County needs Gopal Balachandran on the Court of Common Pleas.