Central Penn College is looking to unload surplus land, townhomes and office space in and around its 58-acre campus in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, through an RFP process overseen by Lemoyne-based RSR Realtors.
College officials hope the properties attract developers with proposals that enhance the campus and benefit students.
Potential partners could include medical providers that align with the college’s programs for healthcare professions or businesses interested in offering experiential learning opportunities to students.
“We envision a vibrant hub emerging from these underutilized spaces, serving not just our student population but also the growing local community,” college president Linda Fedrizzi-Williams said in a statement.
Why is this happening: Over the years, Central Penn has transitioned from a student body that was full time and residential to one with a bigger share of students who commute or take classes online, Fedrizzi-Williams said
“While still a residential campus, this change allows for the repurpose of some of the student housing. For years the college has partnered with notable area businesses and other institutions to provide housing solutions to meet their needs,” she said.
Central Penn also has refocused its programming on career-oriented education in business and healthcare.
“This pivot has allowed the college to reevaluate the utilization of campus facilities and has created an opportunity for under-utilized space to be repurposed,” Fedrizzi-Williams said. “While some space may be made available to outside partnerships, the college has also reinvested in the renovation of new healthcare facilities for our wait-listed surgical technology program.”
Founded in 1881, Central Penn had 918 undergraduate students in fall 2022, according to the National Center on Education Statistics.
What’s for sale: The largest pieces include a 22-acre parcel and a 4-acre parcel on either side of Valley Road, as well as a 34-unit townhome development, which has been used by students but is no longer needed, according to the RFP from RSR.
The school also is hoping to sell two vacant lots of 1 acre and 0.8 acres, both of which are currently being used for parking, at the intersection of B Street and Valley Road.
The two lots are zoned for single-family homes but are more suitable for commercial development, said Garrett Rothman, RSR’s broker of record.
He noted that changes in use for the small lots and the larger lots would require township approval.
In addition, the school is listing a 19th-century barn and home known as the Boyer House, recently used for administrative offices.
Rounding out the RFP is space available for lease, including space in administrative and academic buildings, as well as the school’s library.
What’s next: RSR is conducting tours of the properties through Sept. 22, which is the deadline for submitting proposals, according to the RFP.
The RFP does not include list prices.
