Recreation/Community Centers – Recreation/Community centers are usually developed on three levels.

Clubnouse/Community Building – smaller buildings that are designed to serve as a community room(s) for individual neighborhoods. The size is usually less than 5,000 sq.ft. and requires less than 3 acres. These amenities are usually located next to a neighborhood pool or park. While common in older communities, these are not as prevalent in Pennsylvania.

Community Center – are larger community buildings with multiple, more passive use, spaces that serve an area of a community. These vary in size and amenities and can range from 5,000 to over 20,000 sq.ft. and requires 3-5 acres. This level of center can also be combined with a comprehensive community recreation center or community aquatic center. These centers are usually part of a community park. In most larger communities in Pennsylvania, it is not unusual to have two or more of this size of a center.

Comprehensive Community Recreation Center – this is a large center that contains both active (pool, gym, fitness, etc.) and passive use elements (community rooms) and is designed to serve a substantial geographic area (30,000 or more). The facility is usually over 40,000 sq.ft. to as much as 100,000 sq.ft. and requires 10 acres or more. These are often developed through a partnership with other organizations or other groups (YMCA, etc.). These centers are normally part of a community or regional park. It is becoming the norm to have centers of this size and magnitude in most larger communities in Pennsylvania.

Senior Center – A center that has a focus on senior services from recreation to education and social services. These centers can be as small as 10,000 sq.ft. to over 50,000 sq.ft. depending on the amenities that are included. More traditional centers have a strong passive use orientation with a large multi-purpose room and a commercial kitchen that supports a daily lunch program and larger events and programs. There are also usually smaller classrooms, card rooms, game rooms, small libraries and other amenities. More cutting-edge centers have cafes, multi-purpose rooms and active use spaces including fitness areas, gyms and even swimming pools. There is also a movement away from developing standalone senior centers and integrating these into community recreation centers to provide greater opportunities for the more active senior. Most senior centers in Pennsylvania tend to be on the smaller end of the size spectrum and focus more on the passive senior rather than active. Most senior centers are also standalone facilities and not part of a larger community recreation center, however this is rapidly changing.

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