Though months of discussion by the borough council have yielded no vote, the proposed zoning changes in the West End of State College could provide opportunities for Penn State students in future developments.

With the possibility of new housing for students, new buildings for businesses and a new plan for greater town-gown relations, the West End zoning ordinance would change building standards for future development, including future building plans for property owned by the university.

The West End ordinance — which, if passed, will affect the building standards of the West End of State College near campus — was originally proposed in 2007.

The West End Neighborhood Revitalization Plan — which would provide new standards for future building development — would replace the standards set for the Urban Village District.

Council member Peter Morris said the building standards under the Urban Village District need to be replaced because the standards did not inspire a large amount of development in the West End.

The Proposed Ordinance

The West End Traditional Neighborhood Development District would provide the opportunity to redevelop buildings near Penn State’s West Campus. That means the proposal could potentially lead to buildings being demolished and replaced with new ones.

Council member James Rosenberger said the proposal primarily concerns the neighborhood between West College Avenue and the university, but also includes possible changes to the area between West College Avenue and West Beaver Avenue.

The ordinance was discussed at a July 19 borough council meeting. The anticipated council vote on the issue — after several months of discussion and debate — was deferred to a later date because of concerns expressed by council members.

Some council members were concerned that the design standards were too restrictive and too detailed.

Morris said another concern for critics of the current plan is that university officials haven’t indicated as to what the land will be used for in the future.

Penn State spokesman Geoff Rushton said the university is keeping up on the borough’s discussions on the West End because of the influence the changes would have on the its property. But the university is not opposed to any decision by the borough because of a lack of plans for future development, he said.

“Since we have no plans currently for future use of the property we own in that area, we don’t really have any potential impact or any opposition to what the borough is planning,” Rushton said.

The next possible date for a vote would be in September, Morris said, but it would depend on progress made at the next meeting, he said.

“All I can say is probably this year,” Morris said. “But that’s just a guess.”

Not a New Beaver Canyon

In the proposal, the areas are broken into sections of different heights that would mandate how tall buildings will be built in future developments, Rosenberger said.

Rosenberger said the proposal allows for taller buildings near campus with plans for buildings between three and five stories in some areas and two and four stories in other areas.

While earlier proposals would have allowed for five to seven story buildings near the university, Rosenberger said the nearby Holmes-Foster citizens objected to the plans due to the increase in population.

The West End plan would establish building standards that would attract buildings that will be used — in large part — for student housing.

Mayor Elizabeth Goreham said a lot of the neighborhood’s concern is about how the proposed building standards could cause an increase in population density.

Goreham said the decrease in the proposed building heights is to address some concerns that the area would become similar to Beaver Canyon.

The plans could double or even triple the density of the area, Goreham said. While the proposal would allow the addition of newer, denser buildings to the area, she said the buildings would not be to the magnitude of Beaver Canyon.

Morris said he wants to see the areas that allow for five-story buildings to be reduced to a maximum of four.

“I don’t think it’s bad, it probably needs some fine tuning,” Morris said. “But I’m expecting to vote for it.”

Morris said he understands the concerns of the Holmes-Foster residents. The area that would contain the three to five story buildings are on higher ground than the neighborhood, which makes the proposed buildings seem even higher, he said.

“I respect what their worries are,” Morris said. “They like living there and they don’t want it messed up.”

Affecting Penn State students

The section of the West End district that will see the largest amount of changes under the proposed plan shares a border with Penn State’s West Campus.

“The [area near] campus is where we think there should be more intensive development,” Rosenberger said. “Because it provides easy access to the university for students or staff employees.”

Rosenberger said the proposal would provide the area with the means of developing buildings — like a mixed-use, multiple story building — which could contain businesses on the ground floor and residential areas for students, families and young professionals on the upper floors.

The potential mixed-use buildings could create a new connection between town and gown after several events — including State Patty’s Day — drove the two population groups apart.

While council is discussing the zoning of the area, Rosenberger said it would be up to the developers to design the buildings for the area.

“What we’re trying to do is encourage the kind of development in that area that would be attractive to people to live there,” Rosenberger said. “And also with enough commercial that it would also have a place where people would go. It’s a convenience for students who live on the west end of campus.”

Rosenberger said the borough council will try to “enhance the neighborhood” by proposing the addition of streetlights, trees, crosswalks and park benches to “make it a more pleasant residential neighborhood.”

Goreham said the idea of a bike/pedestrian path from the neighborhood to the university has been discussed as a possible addition to the proposal.

“Right now there is no real walkway or connection between campus and the West End,” Goreham said. “And I think that’s something that we’ve really talked about, creating some kind of connection. Because that’s the advantage of living there.”

“We want students to have great places to live as well as provide some local shops and convenience stores,” Goreham said.

The borough council will hold a special meeting at noon on Aug. 18 to discuss the West End proposal.