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Convenience store coming to Bellefonte

CHRIS MORELLI/THE EXPRESS Rutter’s plans to build a convenience store at the intersection of Rishel Hill Road and Benner Pike. On Tuesday, Centre County Commissioners received a Memorandum of Understanding for the Final Land Development Plan.

BELLEFONTE — There’s something big brewing along the Benner Pike in Bellefonte. On Tuesday, the Centre County Commissioners found out more about the plans to build a new convenience store.

York-based Rutter’s has submitted plans for 10,257 square foot convenience store. A Memorandum of Understanding for the Final Land Development Plan was added to the consent agenda for the Thursday, Dec. 27 commissioner’s meeting. Rutter’s has plans for 14 fueling positions for passenger vehicles, five fueling positions for trucks and corresponding infrastructure.

There is one significant change on the final plans, as commissioner Michael Pipe noted.

“It looks like the one change is that there was an entrance from Benner Pike and it’s been moved to Rishel Hill,” Pipe said.

There will be two ways to access Rutter’s — entrances and exits along Rishel Hill and Venture Drive.

The land is directly across from the Centre County Correctional Facility.

Rutter’s has also applied for a liquor license that would allow it to sell beer and wine at the location. Sheetz, just down the road on the Benner Pike, does not currently have a liquor license.

Chris Schnure, Centre County’s Director of Planning and Community Development, spoke at Tuesday’s meeting.

“The existing lot is about a 16-acre tract of land that the developer is in the process of sub-dividing,” Schnure explained, “with the northern lot being earmarked for the Rutter’s convenience store.”

Plans were officially submitted to the county on Dec. 6.

According to the company website, Rutter’s is the oldest vertically integrated food company in the country. The Rutter family has a farming history dating back 270 years, the website says. The company’s first store was built in 1968. It now has more than 60 locations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The store along the Benner Pike would be Rutter’s first in Centre County.

The commissioners also reacted to Bellefonte Borough’s decision Monday night to re-zone Centre Crest. In a unanimous vote, council re-zoned the facility from R-4 to R-2. Therefore, the current building and land cannot be used for apartments or subsidized housing.

“We look forward to working with Bellefonte in the future,” Pipe said. “We’ve got a lot of projects … we’re working with them. I think the collaboration for what we can do together in the future is very bright. As we look to re-use the Centre Crest property and what those decisions may look like, we want to include them as stakeholders because, ultimately, they have a lot of valued perspective.”

Commissioner Mark Higgins said that the commissioners will be looking for input as far as the re-use of Centre Crest property is concerned.

“We are definitely looking forward to any citizen comments or advice on re-use of the Centre Crest property,” Higgins said.

One of Tuesday’s discussion items concerned Centre Care, formerly Centre Crest. On the docket was a $500,000 contribution to its capital campaign fund.

Commissioner Steve Dershem was completely in favor of the large contribution.

“I think the success and future development of Centre Crest/Centre Care really is paramount to the conversation that began years ago, and that’s making Centre Crest viable well into the future,” Dershem said. “I will heartily endorse the contribution of $500,000 to Centre Care for their capital campaign.”

The $500,000 contribution would come from the county’s surplus.

“I think it sends a message to the rest of the county that not only is it a great project, but Centre County Government is significantly invested in the expansion and re-organization,” Dershem added.

The contribution will be added as an action item to the Thursday, Dec. 27 agenda.

In other business, the commissioners:

– Approved a payment of $40,000 to Liquid Fuels to Port Matilda Borough for completion of project No. 18-14407-001 – paving.

– Approved $199,781 in Liquid Fuels allocations and $150,454 in local use allocations.

– Approved several ABC appointments, re-appointments, term expirations and resignations.

– Announced that county offices would be closed Monday, Dec. 24, Tuesday, Dec. 25 and Tuesday, Jan. 1 for Christmas and New Year’s holidays, respectively.

– Announced that they would meet on Thursday, Dec. 27 to approve the 2019 Centre County budget.

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