Blair County Planning Commission members Thursday reviewed plans for Commonwealth Charter Academy Altoona to construct a new facility in Allegheny Township.

“We are in the very early stages of this, and, if everything goes as planned, our goal is to have the new building up and running by fall 2027,” said Timothy A. Eller, chief branding and government relations officer.

Plans call for constriction of a two-story building along Sheraton Drive. It will have a footprint of 20,171 square feet and an assumed total of 40,342 square feet. The development will include a 2,050-foot-long, 24-foot-wide access road, a parking lot surrounding the building with 183 spaces and stormwater management facilities.

Public water and sanitary sewer will be extended to the building site. Seventy-eight employees are expected to work at the building.

Eller said the purpose of the project is twofold — to serve as a location for teachers and staff to work and to provide students and families throughout the region with the support needed to be successful in an online learning environment.

“No in-person classes will be held at the location, but students will be able to meet with a counselor or administrator if needed. A family could also receive in-person technology support or training if they are having difficulties accessing their online coursework. Although it has not yet been decided, the facility could also be used for state testing, Act 158 graduation requirements, and other student activities and events, such as student pictures, health/dental screenings, career expos and career-readiness events. CCA’s facilities are typically also available for public use as well,” Eller said.

The proposed development is mixed in how it addresses priorities of the Alleghenies Ahead plan. On one hand, the development will provide a facility for an educational institution that can aid business and workforce development and public health and safety.

On the other hand, its location in a wooded greenfield takes a chip, though small, out of natural assets and misses an opportunity to instead locate in a downtown or other location which is a priority for reinvestment, said Jeff Raykes of Stuart Consulting Group, who reviewed the plans.

The proposed development will change the land use of the site, though the new use will be consistent with other uses on Sheraton Drive and in the adjacent Plank Road corridor.

New development will alter the landscape by removal of woodland and grading for the development pad and access road. If done as proposed within the regulations of the township’s subdivision and land development ordinance and other regulations, impacts such as increased runoff will be managed in a way that minimizes impact, Raykes said.

The narrative and plan drawings submitted do not address estimated traffic impacts. It would be beneficial to the township to obtain such information from the applicant and to alert PennDOT to the proposed development.

The proposed parking lot appears overly large. On one hand, the proposal of 183 spaces is appropriate for the subdivision and land development ordinance standard for offices of 4.5 spaces per each 1000 square feet of gross floor area. On the other hand, 183 spaces is beyond what is needed for an office of 78 employees. The township was directed to provide an analysis supporting the needed number of parking spaces.

“It may be an office building for someone else in the future so they are doing the right thing,” member Pat Baechle said.

“Thay have a lot of work to do there,” member Linda Smith said.

Raykes also said it is not plainly found on the plan or narrative, if indeed it exists, who owns the property on which the development will occur.

“Such should be clearly indicated, and that party should be the one signing the owner’s certification on the plan cover sheet,” Raykes said.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.