Council discusses ordinances

Last night's State College Borough Council meeting saw more action on the proposed historic district rezoning, a new amendment added to the tax agreement extension with the University and three ordinance amendments to regulate student housing forwarded to the Planning Commission.

Council heard input from citizens about the proposed ordinance that would create a historic district in the area west of Atherton Street and south of Highland Alley, where an R-3 designation already exists. An R-3 district allows a building owner flexibility with his property. If the district is made into an R-3H district, as was proposed at the meeting, existing buildings would be protected from being demolished to make room for new buildings.

Jay Birdsell, director of town affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government, voiced a concern that the revised ordinance would affect rental housing in the area.

Carl Hess, borough planning director, explained that there would be "no effect on existing rental housing" and that "new rental housing could be developed."

But other residents were opposed to the new revised ordinance, especially property owners in the area. Fred Gay owns four properties in the district.

Also on the agenda concerning borough housing was the first ordinance amendment which proposes additions to the zoning ordinance and controlling the number of one- or two-family homes that can be converted to student homes. Conversions are allowed, but a separation requirement limits them with a required distance between student homes, namely 224 feet. Existing student homes and grandfathered homes are not affected by the ordinances.

The second amendment limits the number of persons living in townhouses to no more than three unrelated people. The third requires that parking and trash facilities at existing student homes be screened, and that trash and recycling bins be hidden from view of other homes and streets. Parking must be made available by owners.

No one that might be affected by this amendment was at the meeting to comment.

Borough manager Peter Marshall brought up the matter of the tax agreement between the University and the borough, the State College School District, the county government and Ferguson, Patton and Harris townships. Under the current agreement, the University pays the above parties a total of $1 million in lieu of taxes. College Township backed out of the agreement.

Ferguson Township recently recommended that an amendment be added to the proposed agreement that would put the arrangement under review once a year.

"The formula that was used to distribute funds over the municipalities . . . would be reviewed every two years, starting in 1999," Marshall said.

There is no review period under the current ordinance.

"I think this is a reasonable amendment, if there's an agreement," council member Janet Knauer said. "But I will vote against it, as I did the first time." Knauer was the only member to object to the ordinance.

The three ordinances were received by the council and forwarded to the planning commission for review and recommendation. Public hearings for the proposed ordinances are scheduled for March 17 and April 7.