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Blair County Planning Commission members Thursday gave favorable reviews to several projects.
Refresh Med Spa plans to construct a 2,400-square-foot medical spa facility on the 600 block of Pleasant Valley Boulevard on a merged 0.287-acre parcel owned by Anthony and David Petulla. Additional improvements include paved parking and access drives as well as new sidewalks, landscaping and stormwater management facilities.
Seventeen paved parking spaces are proposed, including one Americans with Disabilities Act parking space, as well as a rack for bicycle parking.
Access to the proposed site appears to be through a 24-foot-wide bidirectional access drive off of Pleasant Valley boulevard. The construction of a new medical facility does have the potential to attract additional peak hour traffic, however, "we do not anticipate that the increase in vehicle trips would be enough to warrant a transportation impact study," said MacKenzie Caron, regional planner.
Commission members also reviewed plans for an addition to the Cypress Building at Penn State Altoona.
Plans call for construction of a 2,100-square-foot addition for the purpose of creating new research workshops for the mechanical engineering department. Additional improvements include new sidewalks, landscaping and stormwater management facilities.
No changes to the site's overall access are proposed, however, five new building entry points will be added along with new concrete stars, Caron said.
She said the project should not generate a significant increase in vehicle traffic, but the developer should consult with the university and city of Altoona in order to assess any unforeseen impacts on the transportation system.
Sidewalks are proposed along the perimeter of the expanded building as well as parts of the parking lot, which should help improve overall pedestrian safety and promote connectivity at the site, Caron said.
Planning commission members also gave favorable reviews to plans to construct a 6,370-square-foot vehicle maintenance facility and 2,540-square-foot salt storage building for Blair Senior Services along Loo Road; construction of an 11,800-square-foot warehouse with truck access at the existing Bickel's Surplus location long Old Sixth Avenue Road in Antis Township; and construction of a 3,465-square-foot addition to the existing office building, currently the site of PATH, for the purpose of creating an office space for Jeff Long Construction on East Pleasant Valley Boulevard in Antis Township.