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A=COM <br />Downtown Urban Village Analysis - State College and Ferguson <br />Township, Pennsylvania <br />AECOM Economics was engaged by the Borough of State College and Ferguson <br />Township on a market feasibility assessment for the urban village area, a neighborhood <br />directly adjacent to Penn State University and downtown State College. The approach <br />included a specific assessment of the impact of Penn State University students on local <br />demand for residential and retail development, along with interviews with local stakeholder <br />groups, demographic comparisons, and fiscal impacts of residential versus retail <br />development. The approach evaluated overall retail inventories, current sales, and <br />vacancy levels. Project recommendations for the neighborhood focused on issues <br />associated with considerable student housing in the defined neighborhood, which reduced <br />retail market potentials. The approach included identification of near -term strategy efforts <br />to reposition the neighborhood for potential revitalization. Subsequent to the study, the <br />client moved to engage a planning firm to evaluate linkage and connection opportunities <br />within the UV study area, as land use conflicts remain a key challenge for the <br />neighborhood. <br />