A national fast-casual restaurant chain is eyeing a booming development corridor for its next Centre County location.
Chipotle Mexican Grill intends to submit a land development plan for a new restaurant in the Paradise Shopping Center on Benner Pike near Bellefonte, Benner Township Secretary-Treasurer Sharon Royer told StateCollege.com.
It would be Chiptole’s third Centre County location, joining the restaurants at 116 Hiester Street in State College and 1850 N. Atherton St. in Patton Township.
Chipotle would occupy one of two remaining undeveloped restaurant pads at the front of the Paradise Shopping Center, where Giant Food Stores opened as the anchor tenant in December 2022. Royer said she understood the other was designated for Panera Bread at the time center’s land development plan was submitted, though it has not to date announced plans for a location
McDonald’s opened on the southeast corner of the development in June 2024.
A final undeveloped pad on the site adjacent to Giant has been designated for retail or medical/office.
Benner Township’s Board of Supervisors will consider on Monday night approval of a memorandum of understanding for the developer to reimburse Benner Township for the costs associated with processing, reviewing, inspecting and approving the engineering aspects of the plan. Royer said she expects the land development plan to be submitted soon after the MOU is approved.
Just across from the Paradise Shopping Center, a planned Arby’s appears to be off the table. Royer said she has not seen a formal withdrawal letter for project, but she understands the developer is no longer interested in building at 116 Paradise Road what would have been the first Arby’s in Centre County since its State College location closed more than a decade ago.
Nevertheless, the Benner Pike corridor continues to be a busy area for business development.
In addition to the Paradise Shopping Center, two hotels — Tru by Hilton and a dual brand Avid Hotel/Candlewood Suites — are under construction.
Wawa, meanwhile, submitted plans for one of its first Centre County locations to be constructed on Benner Pike directly across from Sheetz, which reopened in December with a new look after temporarily closing for a total rebuild.
A long-discussed fulfillment center warehouse at the Benner Commerce Park is also still in the planning, The project has been shrouded in mystery, with initial plans for an approximately 1 million-square-foot warehouse twice submitted and subsequently withdrawn.
The new plan submitted to Benner Township and the county in 2024 calls for a much smaller facility at 130,000 square feet. Developer SunCap Property Group has not disclosed the end user of the warehouse, citing nondisclosure agreements.
