Penn State and the developer slated to build student housing on Whitehall Road may have come closer to agreeing to a new site for the project.
Protestors of a proposed student housing project say they’re pleased Toll Brothers and Penn State met Tuesday to discuss the possible site at West College Avenue and Blue Course Drive. They’re hoping Penn State is on board with the idea.
David Stone, a member of Nittany Valley Water Coalition, said the 19 acres could be the site of a mixed-use project that includes housing. It’s closer to campus than the Whitehall Road land Toll Brothers has an agreement to buy from the university.
“We just want to make sure this gets the full attention it deserves," Stone said. "You’ve got a developer ready to go. We need to make this work. I know you can’t just do it with a wave of a wand or a hand, but somebody’s got to make it a priority because there’s too much at stake.”
The coalition had challenged the sale in court. Last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal.
University spokeswoman Lisa Powers said Toll Brothers recently expressed preliminary interest, through an unsigned letter of intent, in an alternate site.
"But the university has not been provided any feasibility analyses or other information that would be required as part of our evaluation of any sales agreement," Powers said Tuesday.
"In a meeting today, there was preliminary conversation with some information sharing, but not nearly enough detail for us to make a decision. It is therefore premature to comment further at this time, other than to note that the university’s normal evaluation process would need to be completed prior to making a recommendation to the Board of Trustees for approval."
