Altoona Redevelopment Authority buys land in Cricket Knoll neighborhood off Juniata Gap Road

Redevelopment Authority purchases 17 acres for housing

The city Redevelopment Authority has purchased 17.7 acres in the Cricket Knoll neighborhood off Juniata Gap Road so that it can install infrastructure to attract a developer to build 40 or more homes.

It would be the largest housing development in Altoona since the early 1980s, according to authority member Ron Beatty, a city councilman.

Bounded by Cherry Avenue, Kettle Street and Juniata Gap Road, the hilly wooded land was part of an Urban Redevelopment Area created decades ago, which led to the "Phase 1" construction of as many as 20 homes, after which there was no more development, according to authority solicitor Patrick Fanelli.

The authority bought the tract for $150,000 from S&A Homes of State College, which purchased the property a few years ago, officials said.

Interest in the property since then had "gone away," one official said.

The first step for the city would be to grade the area, then determine the best lot size, according to Public Works Director Nate Kissell.

The lots are likely to be a quarter to a third of an acre, he said.

The hilliness of the ground will likely require the lots to be bigger than they would otherwise, so homeowners won't be "cliff­dwellers," Kissell said.

There is infrastructure up to the perimeter of the tract, but none within, according to authority solicitor Patrick Fanelli.

The plan is to construct streets and sidewalks, along with water, sewer, stormwater, gas and electric lines.

The authority could seek grant money for the work, perhaps through the Neighborhood Assistance Program that is managed by the state Department of Community and Economic Development, said Mayor Matt Pacifico.

The authority hopes to get the infrastructure completed next year, Pacifico said.

The authority would seek a developer through a request for proposals, the mayor said.

Ideally, there would be one developer, so the look of the resulting development would be uniform, according to Pacifico.

The authority wouldn't be dictating the style of the homes to be built there, but it's likely they'll end up looking like the ones that were previously built at Cricket Knoll, officials said.

Those have a suburban appearance.

The price for the property was negotiated with S&A, Fanelli said.

Pacifico and Kissell brought the idea of the purchase to the authority, Fanelli said.

"We're continuing to find buildable (ground)," Pacifico said. "This is a pretty nice piece of land (on which) we can get a pretty substantial housing development."

Over the last few years, city officials have pushed for more housing to fortify the tax base.

The city especially needs homes of a type that is in demand, they have said.

More housing development is one of the goals in the city's new comprehensive plan.

"We need (it)," said authority member Jessica Sprouse.