‘Beaver Canyon’ Debate Hits Impasse at State College Commission

After several months of regular discussions, State College planning commissioners formally decided Thursday that they could not agree on the best zoning approach for a chunk of the ‘Beaver Canyon’ area.

The property in question, 254 E. Beaver Ave., sits at the southwest corner of Locust Lane-Beaver Avenue intersection. HFL Corp. has asked that the borough rezone the land — a former fraternity site — from its small-scale residential designation to a more commercial class, which would allow the company to build a substantial apartment building. The HFL concept calls for an eight-story structure with six floors of four-bedroom apartments, one floor of parking and one floor of business and community space.

Some months ago, Borough Council members referred the HFL request to the Planning Commission for review. The commission advises the council on such issues; the council holds decision-making power.

Commissioners voted 5-2 early this month that eight stories would be too tall for the 254 E. Beaver Ave. property. But on Thursday night, they could find no consensus over density and height limits for that part of town. A proposal to recommend a five-story height limit from 254 E. Beaver Ave. east to Garner Street — on the south side of Beaver Avenue — failed in a 0-6 vote.

Members of the commission cited various reasons for their respective ‘no’ votes. Some worried that the proposal would allow Beaver Avenue redevelopment too dense to suit the adjacent Highlands neighborhood; another, commission Chairman Evan Myers, said the commission had too hastily expanded its zoning discussions to include the entire block between Locust Lane and South Garner Street. (Only within the past couple weeks, Myers said, had the commission added that entire block to a specific zoning proposal.)

In addition, the commission received correspondence from four Highlands residents. All asked that the borough allow no more than 45 feet of redevelopment at the HFL-owned site.

A fifth Highlands resident, Bill Ryan, addressed the commission in person on Thursday. He noted a local perception that a rezoning of 254 E. Beaver Ave. ‘appears to be a thinly disguised spot zoning (effort)’ to serve HFL’s interests.

‘Our neighborhood owner-occupiers (permanent homeowners) are the guts of the borough, and you’ve really got to listen to them,’ Ryan said.

Planning commissioner Michael Roeckel, however, said the commission agrees with HFL that the small-scale residential zoning now in place at 254 E. Beaver Ave. is not appropriate for the property. It’s surrounded by more dense student-residential and commercial uses — the area informally dubbed ‘Beaver Canyon.’

The problem for the commission is, it just can’t agree on exactly how the land should be rezoned, Roeckel explained.

Now the matter will head back to the Borough Council, with an explanation of the Planning Commission’s proceedings. Already, HFL founder and Chairman Henry Sahakian has told the borough that he adamantly opposes a five-floor height limit for 254 E. Beaver Ave. It wouldn’t be economically viable to build a structure of such a small scale there, he has said. HFL owns the land.

Myers said Thursday that the Planning Commission, a volunteer body, has given the entire issue its due diligence.

‘It’s good to air these debates,’ he said. ‘Quite frankly, I think it points out the difficult place this community is in — not just the Highlands neighborhood, but all the neighborhoods and the whole community.’

Myers said the community is struggling to work through land-use, density and behavioral issues — many of which sit outside the purview of the Planning Commission.

Earlier coverage

• State College Commission Pans ‘Beaver Canyon’ Proposal (Oct. 7, 2010)

• State College Commissioners Look toward 55-Foot Limit in ‘Beaver Canyon’ (Oct. 15, 2010)

• Spanier: Penn State Has ‘Responsibility to Weigh in’ about Off-Campus Housing (Oct. 20, 2010)