As State College borough council considers the first major update to its zoning in more than 60 years, supporters argue the changes will expand housing options and help families of all incomes call State College home.
The borough’s zoning rewrite, which has been under discussion since 2017, would update regulations first adopted in 1959. It was the focus of a recent community meeting.
Supporters of the changes say introducing more types of housing could improve affordability, promote sustainability and strengthen the local tax base.
Michelle Hamilton, a renter and borough resident, said the issue hits home.
“I’m very acutely interested in housing affordability and being able to live in the borough,” Hamilton said. “My faith community is in the borough, my work is in the borough, and through my job I also deal a lot with housing insecurity. Housing is a safety issue, as well as an issue of community.”
Ferguson Township resident Lisa Maris said the conversation has become more personal for her as her daughters enter the housing market.
“My daughter just moved back to the area as a young adult, and it’s disgusting watching what she’s paying in rent for what she’s getting,” Maris said.
“My other daughter just moved to Washington, D.C., and she’s paying $3,000 a month for rent," she said. "The affordability issue has become much more personal.”
Maris, who has lived in the area for 25 years, noted that she couldn’t afford her own home if she tried to buy it today.
According to borough data, a 0.3-acre lot near Holmes-Foster sold for $205,000 in 2023 before construction. By the time a house is built, the total cost often exceeds $500,000 to $1 million, out of reach for many families.
Some on borough council say that allowing more units on the same land could cut costs and open the market to a wider range of residents. Splitting that $200,000 to $205,000 lot into four parcels, for example, would reduce the per-unit land cost to $50,000 and make homes under $300,000 more feasible.
The plan would merge single-family zones, remove some lot size rules, and allow more housing types, from triplexes and quadplexes to cottage courts and larger accessory units, in some places. In downtown, buildings could rise as high as 11 stories, with extra height available if projects include affordable housing.
Council meetings on zoning reform are scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 6 and 7 in the borough chambers, with opportunities to attend on Zoom. Residents can also email comments to zonestatecollege@statecollegepa.us.