College Township supervisors are moving closer to creating an impact study to address potential community impacts of the Nittany Mall casino scheduled to open next year.
College Township received a local impact study of the Nittany Mall casino back in 2021 from Philadelphia-based Econsult Solutions, Inc. That study found a net-positive impact on local tourism and tax revenue, and minimal traffic impact.
“Council is actually interested in doing our own impact study in order to refresh and update those numbers, but also to address and to identify those kind of health and human service issues that are out there that we've heard so much about from various constituents," said College Township Manager Adam Brumbaugh.
Brumbaugh spoke Thursday at the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County’s Municipal Managers’ Update.
"I can tell you that all the state and local licenses and approvals are now in hand," Brumbaugh said. "Within the last week or so, you've seen the construction fence go up around the former Macy's building at the Nittany Mall."
College Township supervisors say they wanted to do their own impact study years ago, but held back because of the casino’s legal challenges. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court cleared the way for the casino in July.
Brumbaugh says companies interested in doing the impact study must answer the township’s request for qualifications by Friday, and he expects to have a full report sometime in the fall of this year.
This report won’t affect the opening of the casino. Rather, township officials hope it will inform them on what actions to take following its opening.
"It's estimated the Category 4 casino's going to open in January of 2026," Brumbaugh said. "And with that, that'll be 350 full-time positions that will be brought along with it."
Some residents have spoken out against the project with concerns about gambling addiction, potential traffic and business impacts, and fears of increased crime in the area surrounding to the casino.
