In this week’s episode of “Everybody Loves Bellefonte,” more big things are happening.
Last week, an ownership group led by Duane Reese, former President of AgIntegrated, purchased the former PA National Guard Armory for $950,000 with plans to develop a brewery, distillery, restaurant and bar at the location on Zion Road. Plans also include an outdoor beer garden and space for live music.
Reese said Bellefonte “is really coming up” that it’s “a great place to live and more and more people are going there."
He’s not wrong. The Armory project joins a list of recent developments, including the Waterfront project, The Gamble Mill redevelopment, Axemann Brewery and Titan Hollow, plus Downtown Bellefonte’s earliest adopters Big Spring Spirits and Good Intent Cider.
It seems like developers are recognizing what Bellefonte’s champions have known for years: it’s more than just “a small town outside of State College.”
“I don’t think there is a week that goes by that Bellefonte isn’t celebrating something, or a new business is opening, or there is an activity there. That’s the place to be,” Mark Morath told Town & Gown when discussing the Waterfront Development.
Axemann Brewery owner Rod Stahl agrees. “Bellefonte is undergoing a renaissance… It’s a great destination,” he said in an interview.
Comments:
This is great news! For a long time, State College has tried to be both a college town and a place for young professionals. However, I think Bellefonte can be the town where young professionals build their community.