S&A had plans to create a town center in the master-planned community adjacent to the Toftrees Country Club and Golf Course. DRE and S&A Homes teamed up on the mixed-use development which will result in the largest lifestyle Town Center between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and one of the first of its kind in a Big Ten college town in the country.

SCOPE OF ASSIGNMENT

Determine the viability of a mixed-use development with retail, entertainment, residential, office, cultural and civic components:

College towns will be at the forefront of growth for the next ten to 20 years, as the two largest segments of the U.S. population – the “Baby Boomers? and the college bound “Echo Boomers? – intersect and converge.

These two population bubbles, coupled with the 2 million plus direct visitors to State College every year, represent three hidden economic engines for college towns that do not show up in the U.S. Census or any demographic research from data providers and demographers.

The 42,700 Penn State students come from households with average household incomes of over $100,000, while Penn State’s direct visitors (many from the 175,000 Penn State Baby Boomer alumni) are a highly educated, affluent group themselves. By 2010, the impact of the university’s students, the visitors and the Baby Boomer alumni will contribute over $1 billion to the State College economy.

With all that Penn State brings to the community, including a marketplace that draws 650,000 people from a 50-mile radius, State College was determined to be a great place to build a mixed-use Town Center. The project will increase the quality of life in State College with new-to-the-market retailers and restaurants, while creating an environment for civic and cultural events.

RESULTS

In August 2010, the State College Town Center at Toftrees, will open to serve the 650,000 local residents, 42,700 Penn State University students and over 2 million direct visitors to Central Pennsylvania. The 62-acre mixed-use development located in State College will be a magnet for anyone looking to shop, eat, live and play.

The concept includes an upscale, retail lifestyle center surrounded by 4,690 residential units, including the six villages surrounding the Town Center with single-family homes, townhomes, “game day? condos and multi-family residential units for visitors, alumni, and residents attracted to the sports, cultural and academic activities in State College and at Penn State University.

The topography of the site will allow upscale residences to overlook the golf course from a 200-foot elevation. According to Divaris, it’s “an example of smart growth that reduces suburban sprawl.?

The Town Center will also benefit from the completion in 2008 of the north-south extension of Interstate 99 (currently Routes 220 and 322), connecting to the east-west Interstate 80. The Town Center will have access from Interstate 99 directly into its site.

The Town Center portion of the master planned development will be built in three phases. Phase 1 is scheduled to open in August 2010 with 200,000 square feet of upscale, lifestyle retail and restaurants. The three phases of retail will comprise a 540,000-square-foot upscale, lifestyle retail center; an entertainment district with ten restaurants; and several hotels.