State College schedules neighborhood plan update for 2027, zoning work in 2026

Ed DelCleer (staff) told Borough Council on June 9 that the borough will begin updating its neighborhood plan in 2027. He said the Downtown Master Plan (adopted in 2013) is already being updated and that the neighborhood plan—last adopted in 2014—will follow after zoning updates and the downtown master-plan reauthorization, which staff expects to complete in 2026.

DelCleer said the zoning work is expected in the first and second quarters of 2026 and that the improvement district reauthorization is set to expire in December 2026; staff plan to sequence the neighborhood plan work to begin in 2027. When asked whether money had been budgeted for the neighborhood plan, DelCleer said no funds have been budgeted for this project yet and that no budget request is planned for the current year; the CIP entry is intended to keep the project on the radar and to help prioritize future budgets.

A council member asked whether the listed allocation covers consultant costs; DelCleer said the listed allocation would be for a consultant and that staff time would also be significant. The transcript contains an unclear reference to the consultant allocation amount—DelCleer said “about $2.50” in response to a question, which appears to be garbled; staff clarified that consultant and advertising/material costs are expected but precise budget figures were not provided on the record.

DelCleer said the current neighborhood plan has primarily guided public investment, grant applications and park investments, and that once zoning changes are proposed staff will model potential impacts of land-use regulation changes on housing opportunities and public investments.