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Blair County Planning Commission members Thursday gave a favorable review to plans for a parking lot for the Penn Central Building in Altoona.
Developer Jeff Long is proposing the redevelopment of the 1100 block of 12th Avenue for the purpose of creating parking for the Penn Central building redevelopment which will include 30 apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space.
The site houses the former M&T Bank building that will be renovated, and a former Thompson's Pharmacy, proposed for demolition.
In total, the development will create 72 parking stalls, said Regional Planner MacKenzie Caron.
Access to the site is proposed via 14-foot-wide ingress from 12th Avenue with a 14-foot-wide egress onto Green Avenue.
Landscaping plans indicate that no additional street trees will be included along Green Avenue; however, the parking lot will include landscaped planters and planting strips within the site as well as retain all existing trees, which planners feel is sufficient for the development.
No lighting plans have been included as part of the proposal, Caron said.
"We recommend the inclusion of safety lighting throughout the parking lot. We recommend that any lighting installed at the site is both shielded and directed in a manner to prevent spillage onto neighboring properties and roadways," Caron said.