Bellefonte council gives conditional approval to waterfront hotel, parking and condo plan

Bellefonte Borough Council gave conditional preliminary-final approval on Monday to the Bellefonte waterfront land-development plans, allowing a proposed mixed-use project that includes a 93-room branded hotel, a rooftop dining experience, a three-level parking garage and 48 condominium units to move forward pending a short list of outstanding technical items.

The project team, represented at the meeting by Tom Songer and John Sepp, described the development as a combined hotel and parking-garage complex with a promenade along Spring Creek, a farm‑to‑table restaurant on the hotel’s first floor and custom-design condominium interiors for prospective buyers. "We think the project we have before you tonight is really a very good project for Bellefonte Borough," Tom Songer said during the presentation.

Council members were asked to approve a conditional acceptance of the preliminary-final plans contingent on four listed items noted by borough staff. Borough planning staff said the outstanding items were straightforward technical matters typical for land-development approvals and had been reviewed by the Planning Commission and the Historic Architecture Review Board.

Project details presented to council included a 93-room boutique hotel with a rooftop feature that the developer said will seat about 75 people inside and 75 outside; a first‑floor restaurant with seating for about 100; roughly 90 surface parking spaces plus about 260–265 spaces in the parking garage built on three levels; and 48 condominium units (two‑ and three‑bedroom units organized roughly 16 per floor on floors 4–6). Songer said the hotel footprint remains similar to earlier submissions, and the promenade next to Spring Creek will be brick‑paved with outdoor seating and ground‑floor activation. He told council the hotel and parking garage would be built and opened together and that condominium sales would be marketed only after construction begins.

Borough staff thanked John Sepp and Tom Songer and the Planning Commission and Historic Architecture Review Board for their work on plan revisions. Dina (borough staff) told council she had no substantive additions to the motion and reiterated that the approval was conditional with a small number of remaining technical items to resolve.

Council approved the conditional preliminary-final land-development plans in a roll-call vote with all members voting in favor. Council asked staff to ensure the outstanding items are resolved before final sign-off and to circulate any revised documents to council and the review boards.

The developer said construction could begin this fall if permitting and financing proceed as expected. The conditional approval does not itself authorize building permits; final permits will be issued only after the outstanding technical conditions are satisfied and any required codified approvals are completed.

Council members and staff said they will continue to monitor the project as detailed plan documents and permit applications are submitted.