Penn State officials OK land's sale

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Penn State officials approved the $2.9 million sale of the university's Circleville Farm property to a developer, despite protests from residents and others who wanted the 155-acre site to remain open space.
The university's board of trustees approved the sale of the land in Ferguson Township to The Lezzer Haubert Partnership on Friday and endorsed plans to build 400 residential units and possibly an aquatic center. The land, surrounded by homes and light industry, is used by neighbors as a park.
The sale is contingent on the developer getting approval to rezone the property, which is designated rural-agricultural, a zone that allows only one home per 50 acres.
"I think it's disappointing that they're not considering the future of green space and environmental issues. I think it's a shame," said Rebecca Brooks, one of about 150 residents who attended the trustees meeting to show their opposition to the sale.
The university acquired most of the Circleville land in the 1960s and 1970s, when the surrounding area was mostly farmland, said Gary Schultz, Penn State senior vice president for finance and business. The area surrounding the property became developed and by the mid-1990s the College of Agricultural Sciences could no longer conveniently use the land, Schultz said.
Robert Steele, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, said that Circleville is not the best place to start new programs. He said the college farms some of the Circleville land, but no research is being conducted there., he
The proposal provides for open space, roads that follow the land's existing contours, and retains nearly every tree on the property, officials said.
Christopher Uhl, professor of biology and a leading advocate of retaining Circleville, said he was sad that the trustees didn't act as trustees and keep the land available for students.
Bob Anderson, chairman of the Centre County Farmland Trust, said he had spoken with Penn State officials about using the land for "light agriculture" but to no avail.
"The thing about land is that once it's gone, it's gone forever," Anderson said. "You never turn back from a decision like this."