The Urban Village Revitalization Plan was put on hold for another week after the State College Borough Council voted 4-3 to withhold making a decision on the contractor, citing a need for more discussion.

The council ultimately decided that the contract for this area would be deliberated at its next work session, which will take place Monday.

"I'm truly conflicted," Borough Council member Donald Hahn said. "I'm not sure if my mind's made up at this point. I don't think there's anything wrong with more discussion."

The Urban Village is an area west of Atherton Street occupied mostly by students. It is bordered on the north by the newly developed west campus, and on the south by Calder Way and downtown State College. In a joint venture with Penn State, Borough Council wants to bring new businesses to the neighborhood and do renovations on older homes. They also want to bring a permanent, non-student population to the area.

The Delta Development Group, Inc. was recommended as a possible contractor for the project to the council by Borough Planning Director Carl Hess.

Borough Council member Ronald Filippelli said it is possible the Delta Development Group is the top contractor, but that he still has questions.

"I didn't come away with a clear winner," he said.

Other council members were dissatisfied with the manner in which the recommended contractor, Delta Development Group, was selected.

"I'm not pleased with the recommendation," Borough Council member Tom Daubert said. "In my opinion, there were four companies selected as being better. I believe we should give some more consideration to some of the other companies. We're trying to make a decision based totally on a staff recommendation."

The vagueness of the Delta proposal was also a subject of concern.

"I don't feel like I've been informed to make this decision," said Borough Council member Elizabeth Goreham. "I was not expecting this matrix. I was expecting something with a little more information."

Borough Assistant Manager Tom Kurtz spoke favorably of Delta to the council, emphasizing the company's community awareness.

"I took some time to walk the neighborhood again. It came down to which of the firms made the effort and took the time," he said. "Clearly, the leading candidate communicated the neighborhood better than other firms."

Borough Council President Cathy Dauler said some area stakeholders are expecting disappointing results with the plan.

"Some of the property owners said the whole plan was a dismal failure," she said. "There was concern about the way that particular part of town was changing. There are a few people who are anxious about it. They have the feeling we are going to knock buildings down and put up high-rises."

If passed, the budget for development would be composed of $27,500 from the borough, $20,000 from Penn State and an expected grant of $47,000 from the Delta Development Group. In total, the project could cost anywhere from $80,000 to $140,000 depending on what is implemented.

However, for now, the issue of Urban Village remains unresolved.

"For us to sit around and talk about this is going nowhere," Borough Council member Craig Humphrey said. "We're going to be looking for a silver bullet forever if we don't make a decision soon."