The State College Borough Council could proceed with a plan to add a high-rise commercial building to downtown State College after a zoning report from the State College Planning Commission is presented at tonight's council meeting.

Some $32 million would be invested in the 140-foot building at the corner of Fraser Street and West Beaver Avenue. The building's plans currently include a 10-screen, three-story cineplex, retail and office space on the first two floors and between 54 and 58 owner-occupied, high-end condominiums on the upper floors.

Borough Planning Director Carl Hess said the planning commission is reviewing amendments to the zoning code before the project can go forward and will report the changes to council tonight. The current zoning restricts buildings to a height of 65 feet and requires one parking space for every 800 square feet of gross floor area.

"When you put together all the uses proposed for the site, they can't meet that requirement," he said, adding that under those requirements, the building would need more than 200 parking spaces.

The committee is considering changing that requirement to one space for every 30,000 square feet, Hess said, as well as exempting parking for theaters within 400 feet of a public parking facility with at least 300 parking spaces.

"So far it's gone pretty smoothly," he said. "There's general agreement that the project is good for downtown."

Tim Fulton, vice president of Susquehanna Real Estate, the project's developer, said it will take another three or four months to enter a development agreement with the Downtown Improvement District, which is acting as the project's agent for council. It could take up to four years to finish the project, he added.

"It's been a goal of the borough and the Downtown Improvement District for a couple of years, looking for enterprises that would attract people to downtown and would provide some entertainment," he said. "As an urban site in the center of town, it lends itself very well to mixed use."

Downtown Improvement District Director Teresa Sparacino said the project aims to bring permanent residents into the borough to increase its tax base, while stimulating downtown through another form of entertainment.

Holding public meetings to receive feedback from the community is the next step, Sparacino said.

"Our goal is that it is embraced by the public," she said. "I don't think anyone should be concerned about large projects coming in. It helps to strengthen downtown State College, as well as the borough."

The condominiums, at an average price of $350,000, are geared toward retirees moving back into State College, Penn State alumni and local professionals, Sparacino said.

"We want to bring them within walking distance to businesses that are already established in downtown State College," she said.