Tree removal marks one of first signs of activity at Autoport site in nearly a decade
Several trees have been removed from the historic Autoport property, but State College’s planning director said Friday that the borough has not received any documents indicating that construction of a new hotel will soon begin.
It’s unknown why the trees were removed, whether it’s because of their health, pests, aesthetics or preparation for construction. Cutting Edge Tree Professionals performed work on Friday. The company deferred comment to the property owner.
“I was as surprised to see the trees coming down as everyone else,” borough Planning Director Ed LeClear wrote in an email to the Centre Daily Times.
A message left with the property group that has the same address of the developers of the new hotel was not immediately returned Friday. Developers have been quiet about updates on their plans, with LeClear telling the CDT in November that the borough had no contact with them for at least 18 months.
The tree removal marks one of the few instances of visible activity at the site in nearly a decade. The Autoport, once among the borough’s most recognizable properties, was Pennsylvania’s oldest motel until it closed in December 2015. The former owners declared bankruptcy earlier that year and sold the property for $2.1 million.
Plans for a new 122-room Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel were submitted in January 2020, two months before the first coronavirus case was reported in Centre County.
The proposed hotel at 1401 S. Atherton St. would include eight apartment units, with one restricted based on income to meet the borough’s inclusionary housing ordinance.
The new four-story building, set to be constructed on the west side of the property adjacent to the shopping plaza with Talbot’s, Papa John’s and other businesses, had irked residents and caused consternation among some members of the borough’s planning commission.
The developers used a legal loophole — which Borough Council later closed — to bypass an ordinance that limited new buildings in similar zoning districts to three stories.
Construction would involve demolishing three buildings, and the hotel was expected to employ about 25 people.
