BELLEFONTE, CENTRE COUNTY - After their borough meeting Monday night, Bellefonte officials say Hotel Do De, Cadillac and Garman Theater building sales may be official sometime this Spring.
A deal still has not officially been announced on the sales of those buildings, but borough officials think deals are in place for some action to be taken.
Three key buildings still sit vacant in downtown Bellefonte, but Borough Manager Ralph Stewart says soon all that could change.
He says a buyer is looking to purchase the Hotel Do De and Cadillac buildings now, but may buy the Garman Theater building too.
"There is discussion going on, I believe the strongest idea is affordable housing, at least on the upper stories," Stewart said. "The lower stories, or first floor stories, are still, I think, being reviewed as far as what possibilities would be sustainable there."
Ted Summers has lived in Bellefonte his whole life.
"I went there as a State Theater as a kid all the time," Summers said.
He says the idea of creating affordable or workforce housing is something he doesn't necessarily agree with.
"When I think of workforce housing, I think of something low-level for the poor that's not going to be be well kept up and there's going to be vagrants around all the time that's not going to be attractive," he said. "It may not be realistic, but that's what I think when I think of something like that."
Instead, he'd like to see the buildings restored and used for what they were previously used for.
"I would like to see it stay the same, but obviously, things change. Life never stays the same, things move on, so we can't expect that," Summers said.
Like Summers, Stewart says either way, he's glad something is finally being done.
"It's certainly a breath of fresh air that we're seeing an older building be put back to life."
Stewart says an official timeline has not been set yet, and at this point, we don't know whether or not that buyer will take all three buildings or just the Hotel Do De and Cadillac, but Stewart expects the sale will be made final sometime this Spring.
A deal still has not officially been announced on the sales of those buildings, but borough officials think deals are in place for some action to be taken.
Three key buildings still sit vacant in downtown Bellefonte, but Borough Manager Ralph Stewart says soon all that could change.
He says a buyer is looking to purchase the Hotel Do De and Cadillac buildings now, but may buy the Garman Theater building too.
"There is discussion going on, I believe the strongest idea is affordable housing, at least on the upper stories," Stewart said. "The lower stories, or first floor stories, are still, I think, being reviewed as far as what possibilities would be sustainable there."
Ted Summers has lived in Bellefonte his whole life.
"I went there as a State Theater as a kid all the time," Summers said.
He says the idea of creating affordable or workforce housing is something he doesn't necessarily agree with.
"When I think of workforce housing, I think of something low-level for the poor that's not going to be be well kept up and there's going to be vagrants around all the time that's not going to be attractive," he said. "It may not be realistic, but that's what I think when I think of something like that."
Instead, he'd like to see the buildings restored and used for what they were previously used for.
"I would like to see it stay the same, but obviously, things change. Life never stays the same, things move on, so we can't expect that," Summers said.
Like Summers, Stewart says either way, he's glad something is finally being done.
"It's certainly a breath of fresh air that we're seeing an older building be put back to life."
Stewart says an official timeline has not been set yet, and at this point, we don't know whether or not that buyer will take all three buildings or just the Hotel Do De and Cadillac, but Stewart expects the sale will be made final sometime this Spring.
