Vote delayed on Highlands issue

State College Borough Council members have postponed a vote on down zoning the Highlands so they can further examine the issue.

The State College Borough Council decided it needs more time before voting on proposed zoning changes in the Highlands neighborhood.

The council members agreed to push back the vote date from March 16 to April 6 during the council meeting last night.

While some council members said they were ready to vote on the proposed changes, other members were appreciative of the extra time to gather their thoughts.

Council member Richard McCarl said he would have been absent from the March 16 council meeting and was thankful to the council for delaying the vote.

McCarl said he is still deciding on the issue and trying to weigh all the issues.

"I will take this time and will walk around the neighborhoods to gain a better understanding of what we're dealing with," McCarl said.

Limiting apartment structures in the proposed down-zoned areas is one of McManis's concerns. She said it could limit development that may be beneficial toward the tax base.

Council members Donald Hahn and James Meyer focused their comments on the projected effects of the proposals.

Hahn said he believed passing the proposals may hinder future student housing and, in conjunction with the student housing ordinance passed last year, would lead to the effect of a no-growth strategy for the borough.

Meyer asked why there was a push for the amendments right now.

He said there has been virtually no high-density growth in the current R-3 and R3-H zones in the last ten years -- two zones that are proposed to be down-zoned.

"The market hasn't been there," Meyer said.

Because apartment structures are being built in the borough and one outside of the borough, Meyer said the expected increase of students to the University will be met in the coming years. For this reason, Meyer said he doesn't foresee developers being pressured to build even more apartment complexes in the borough.

However, council members Tom Daubert, Janet Knauer and Elizabeth Goreham each cited reasons why the proposed zoning amendments would be beneficial to the Highlands neighborhood.

"The issue is more the character of the neighborhood rather than the income produced from it," Knauer said.

Knauer also disagreed with Hahn's opinion that the borough would be adopting a no-growth strategy if the council voted for the proposed changes.

Knauer said she believed outlying townships are planning for more student housing. In addition, she said the Highlands neighborhood would continue to absorb students in the community.

State College Mayor Bill Welch also wanted to offer his thoughts to the council, though he does not have a vote.

Welch said the down-zoning also might prohibit future townhouses from being built for retirees who wish to live within the neighborhood.