STATE COLLEGE, PA l Fraser Centre l 155 FT l 14 FLOORS

[Evergrey]

State College (pop. 42k, metro pop. 154k) is located in Central Pennsylvania - 2 1/2 hours northeast of Pittsburgh - and is home to Penn State. Nestled in the ridge-and-valley region of Pennsylvania, State College is a rapidly growing metro featuring an extremely densely populated and urbanized downtown.

Downtown residential has been almost exclusively the domain of students for years, but Fraser Centre will bring luxury condominiums to the area - targeting affluent professionals. At 155ft and 14 floors, Fraser Centre will surpass Penn Towers Apartments (130 ft, 12 floors) as the tallest building in State College.

Fraser Centre Facts & Stats:

Structural Height: 155 ft
Floors: 14
Sq. Footage: 250k
Location: Beaver & Fraser - Downtown State College, PA
Purpose: Mixed Use
Projected Construction Start: Fall 2013
Construction timeline: 22 months
Developer: Susquehanna Real Estate
Architect: Wallace Roberts and Todd
Website: http://www.frasercentre.com/

Fraser Centre will include a high-end hotel, luxury condominiums, retail, commercial office space and garage.


wrtdesign.com












statecollege.com


centredaily.com

[Urbana]

I was under the impression that this project was close to dead, am I mistaken?

[dc_denizen]

I don't remember that vacant lot, what used to be there? Looks like its on Beaver and Pugh?

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by Urbana

I was under the impression that this project was close to dead, am I mistaken?

It languished for years... especially when Penn State pulled out its role in the project in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. However, the developer changed some elements of the project, and it found new life this year. It has recently won approval from the borough council and is expected to begin construction this fall.

Also... I don't think these renderings accurately depict the current project, but they're the most recent ones available on the developer and architect websites. The cinema element has been dropped.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

I don't remember that vacant lot, what used to be there? Looks like its on Beaver and Pugh?

As stated in the original post... and should be evident in the name... the vacant lot is at FRASER & Beaver. It has been vacant since 2005. I can't remember what was there before that... probably some junk.

[Towersteve]

The Centre Daily Times reported in late July (Jessica VanderKolk, 7/29/13) that a redesigned Fraser Centre had been approved and construction would start this fall.

http://www.centredaily.com/2013/07/2...e-forward.html

Also I read another tower is being planned.. I believe 12 stories at the site of the former Arby's. I'm not sure if the council has approved it.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by Towersteve

Also I read another tower is being planned.. I believe 12 stories at the site of the former Arby's. I'm not sure if the council has approved it.

http://www.centredaily.com/2013/08/1...old-arbys.html

Building proposal at old Arby’s site in State College can move forward

Published: August 19, 2013



By Jessica VanderKolk — jvanderk@centredaily.com

STATE COLLEGE — The concept of a 12-story building at the corner of South Atherton Street and West College Avenue can move into the borough planning process with approved zoning changes Monday.The Borough Council at its regular meeting approved changes to signature development in the commercial incentive district 5-2

...

Kervandjian has said the building, dubbed The Metropolitan, will have apartments of various sizes and that his team will market to residents beyond only undergraduate students.

...

[Austinlee]

Look at that towering beast! Seriously though, State College is a VERY low rise place.

[Evergrey]

lots of news on this and The Metropolitan lately... (including renderings)... I'll have to remember to update after work

[Evergrey]

The Fraser Centre was delayed again as Susquehanna Real Estate has sold the site to a new developer. It's now been NINE years since this development was first approved by borough council.

http://www.centredaily.com/2014/01/1...e-college.html

New owner takes over State College Fraser Centre plan

By Matt Carroll

mcarroll@centredaily.com

January 10, 2014



...

Now it will be a partnership of Brandeis and Daniel Deitchman, of Brickbox Enterprises in Mechanicsburg, that is tasked with bringing the building to fruition.

Brandeis, who was a partner in the previous ownership group, said the project should look largely the same as the one Susquehanna was pursuing.

“There are some tweaks to it — things to make the project more streamlined, more feasible,” he said. “But overall, it’s pretty much what everyone thinks.”

...

Article from February 2013:

Downtown State College projects looking up

By Matt Carroll

mcarroll@centredaily.com

February 9, 2014

There’s rarefied air at the top of the Penn Tower building on East Beaver Avenue.

Standing on the roof of the 120-foot student apartment complex, long the tallest building in town, you would be looking down on the rest of State College.

But the view soon could change.

Two separate groups of developers received Borough Council approval in 2013 to push ahead with big plans. And as a result, two giant buildings, relatively speaking, have a clear path to break ground.

The Fraser Centre building, planned for the corner of West Beaver Avenue and South Fraser Street, would stand 155 feet tall. And The Metropolitan, set to be built at the intersection of South Atherton Street and West College Avenue, would rise 146 feet.

...

[Evergrey]

latest rendering

[summersm343]

First design is better, but any way, build it! More height in State College is always a good thing.

[Urbana]

Construction has begun on Fraser Center.

STATE COLLEGE — After years of delays, work on the long-awaited Fraser Centre has begun. When finished, the mixed-use building will be the tallest in State College at 155 feet.
Preliminary construction at the site began Oct. 15, according to Gary Brandeis, president of Real Estate Capital Management. Infrastructure and foundation work is expected to be finished by next spring when construction on the main part of the building will begin.
“We’re thrilled to have this opportunity,” Brandeis said. “It’s been a long time coming for the borough and community.”
“The start of construction for this plan is exciting for downtown State College and the community,” said State College Borough manager Tom Fountaine. “This project brings more diversity in retail and commercial options in downtown and it provides even more reasons to come downtown. The project also provides additional residential diversity in the downtown.”
The mixed-use building was originally proposed by Susquehanna Real Estate in 2007. Real Estate Capital Management bought the land and took over the project in October 2013.
For the past year, Brandeis said he and his team have been researching similar projects and working to secure proper approvals from the borough to build.
“In the process of doing this project, we visited other college campuses,” he said. “A lot of the other schools that you would say are equivalent to Penn State in size and the type of campus they have, they have two or three Fraser Centres. I think that State College and Penn State, the student body and the folks that work on campus, are really going to benefit from this project.”
The current building plan is for 13 stories and a total of 155 feet. Real Estate Capital Management already has a contract with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts for 158 rooms. The mixed-use space will also feature 26 condominiums and retail space.
The brand new, modern building will be energy efficient and sleek, with a mostly glass exterior.
“A property like this doesn’t exist in downtown State College,” Brandeis said. “It’s a game-changer.”
While building student housing was not an option due to zoning restrictions, Brandeis said his company was incentivized by the borough to develop with being able to build a taller building with more square footage and fewer parking spaces.
“What the borough did is provide the right incentives … to do something other than student housing,” he said.
A Penn State graduate, Brandeis said that for him and other alumni working on the project it's “like coming home.”
“It’s not just another deal for us,” he said. “Not only do we want it to be successful, but we want it to be the right development for the community as well.”
Pending weather and other unforeseeable setbacks, Brandeis said the building should be finished with retail and the hotel set to open during the fall semester of 2016.

http://www.statecollege.com/news/cen...egins,1461496/

New website updated with renderings and various details. Retail at the base, Hyatt Place above that, topped off with non-student residential. 155 feet tall.

http://www.frasercentre.com/

[qwho]

I wanted to try and get a shot of myself in the construction cam but the sidewalk is closed all around the site. This will work in their favor as they won't need sidewalk scaffolds.

So I was able to talk to some guys leaving out the side gate, they said they will have a tower crane going in on the 18th.

a shot from the alley...

[Busy Bee]

This sure got ugly. What a shame.

[Urbana]

The tower crane is being erected today.

http://www.frasercentre.com/?page_id=179

[Evergrey]

latest construction photo (you can see the two cranes for The Metropolitan in the distance)



...

http://www.centredaily.com/2015/07/0...h-council.html

State College Borough Council OKs collegiate overlay

BY JEREMY HARTLEY
jhartley@centredaily.com
July 6, 2015


Large cranes like those used for the Fraser Centre and the Metropolitan could be possible on the eastern fringe of downtown after State College Borough Council passed the collegiate housing overlay proposal Monday.
CHRISTOPHER WEDDLE — CDT photo

STATE COLLEGE — The long-debated collegiate housing overlay proposal passed State College Borough Council Monday with a 6-1 vote in favor of the amendment.

The amendment was drafted in order to incentivize an increase in development capacity along the east end of downtown with discussion focused mainly on the lot containing Kildare’s Irish Pub at 538 E. College Ave.

Councilwoman Sarah Klinetob was the sole dissenting vote.

Under the proposal, several incentives would allow a developer to go beyond the current height maximum in exchange for certain amenities — additional floors of commercial space or environmental considerations would translate into additional stories of residential space.

...

[Urbana]

State College Borough Council OKs collegiate overlay

This is excellent news. College Avenue gets pretty ugly and unwelcoming down in that direction. Not to mention, the University is on the precipice of a major housing issue. I talk to housing officials at the university every once in a while and, according to them, if the university continues expanding the undergraduate population like they plan to, all on-campus housing will need to be dedicated exclusively to freshmen within a decade. The existing apartment market is not sufficient to handle this and new construction is not happening at a sufficient rate.

[summersm343]

Could State College be PA's next skyline? Would be cool to see some stuff in the 200-300 ft range there.

[qwho]

I'd like to see the lot behind the Lion's Den/Deli developed, maybe a taller building with Retail storefronts on the bottom, Parking deck, and residential on top. Picturing sort of what the Gardens in Pittsburgh is turning out to look like.