After a speedy second Council meeting for new State College Mayor Don Hahn, Borough Council held a public hearing to discuss a high-rise development proposed for the current location of the Garner Street Lot.

Preliminary plans for the development were submitted in November by CA Student Living, the company currently building The Rise on College Avenue, and the Friedmans.

CA Student Living’s Dan Hrankowsky said during the public hearing the building would be 14 stories on the Calder Way side and 12 stories on the Beaver Avenue side. The first two floors on the Beaver Avenue side of the building would be occupied by the Hillel community center, which was previously slated for that side of the lot. Upper floors would be residential space and amenities for residents of the building. Plans also include an underground parking garage.

Lafer also raised concern over the building plan’s lack of inclusionary housing, like workforce housing or young professionals housing. Living options downtown for young professionals were a major issue in this year’s election as Council hopes to make a priority of keeping Penn State graduates around and attracting other young professionals to live in the Borough.

“We have absolutely no place in this for workforce housing or young professional housing, both of which are extremely important to the community,” Lafer said.

Developers are able to identify external space for the required amount of inclusionary housing, or pay the Borough a certain amount of money in lieu of this to be allocated to other affordable housing coalitions. Lafer said she’d like a clear statement of intent from CA Student Living on how this will be handled if the permit is to be approved.

It’s important to note this hearing was only for Phase I of the entire project — the building between Beaver Avenue and Calder Way. Phase II of the project would include another building between Calder Way and College Avenue, likely with a courtyard in between the two. However, Phase I of the project is self-sustainable and not at all contingent on approval of Phase II.