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Property owner urges removing first‑floor commercial requirement; supports Victorian storefront overlay
Summary
A property owner told the Bellefonte Borough Council downtown has too much vacant commercial space and urged removing the first‑floor commercial requirement or adopting a Victorian storefront overlay; the planning commission will continue review.
Elliot Killian, a property owner at 111 East High Street, told the Bellefonte Borough Council that downtown has an oversupply of commercial space and urged the borough to remove the central business district requirement that ground floors be commercial. Killian said he counted roughly two dozen vacant or noncompliant storefronts and argued that neither higher local incomes nor tourism alone can sustain the current amount of retail.
"Doing nothing means risking Bellefonte itself," Killian said, urging action and saying he submitted a report called the Victorian storefront overlay. The overlay proposal is intended as a compromise that would allow greater flexibility for first‑floor uses while preserving storefront character, according to materials in the council packet.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to continue discussion of the Victorian storefront overlay at a public meeting on Tuesday, March 18, the council noted. No council action on the overlay was scheduled at the borough council meeting.
Why it matters: Downtown zoning rules shape what uses are allowed at street level and can affect vacancy rates, property values and the character of the central business district. Council members indicated they will follow the Planning Commission’s review before taking action.
