CLEARFIELD – A new multi-tenant building on the Riverwalk has received approval from the Clearfield Borough Council.
At Thursday’s meeting, the council discussed a land development project for Rivers Landing, owned by Clearly Ahead Development, the county’s economic development entity.
Code Enforcement Officer Larry Mack said the project received approval from the Planning Commission. He said Clearly Ahead was looking to construct a two-story building near the Market Street end of the Riverwalk.
Mack said the first floor of the building would potentially house a restaurant or brew-pub, while the second floor would be for offices and a conference center.
Mack said when the plans were first submitted, there were several issues which needed to be addressed. He said the plans were resubmitted and the Planning Commission found they had met the requirements.
Mack said one of the big issues was parking. He said while the proposed site does not have adequate parking, Clearly Ahead plans to use their property on the east side of the river for additional parking. Mack said Clearly Ahead was meeting with a potential tenant for the first-floor space.
Council member Steve Harmic said he was concerned that there would not be enough parking if an event were held in the conference center while a restaurant is open for business.
Council member Jim Kling said there would also be a problem if Clearly Ahead would ever sell the property, and how the additional parking would impact development of Market Square, which is located where the former Uni-mart store once was.
“A restaurant is definitely something that’s needed, but I feel as if this is going to cut potential development of the Uni-Mart property (Market Square),” Kling said.
“We can’t really deny it if they meet the requirements, but I can see problems if they ever want to expand.”
Borough Operations Manager Leslie Stott said it’s her understanding that there are presently no plans for further development of Market Square.
Solicitor F. Cortez Bell III said if Clearly Ahead ever sold the proposed building, they would also have to sell the additional parking lot in order for the property to continue to meet the parking requirements.
After further discussion, Council members Jim Kling, Fran Selvage, Wade Cowder, Heather Bozovich, Robbie Tubbs and Brian Lytle voted to approve the project, providing Clearly Ahead adds the stipulation that the property cannot be sold without sufficient parking. Council member Steve Harmic voted against the motion.
