City planners meet today on Phila.’s tallest skyscraper

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission will hold an information session today at 1 p.m. to consider a rezoning request that would help clear the way for the city's largest skyscraper to be built at 18th and Arch Streets in Center City.

The proposed 1,500 foot tower, known as the American Commerce Center, would soar over the just completed Comcast Center (which tops out at 975-feet), and indeed would be among the tallest buildings in the United States.

Mayor Nutter has publicly praised the proposal, but some neighbors oppose the project, calling it out of scale with the surrounding community and objecting to the shadows it is likely to cast on some residences. State Sen. Vince Fumo is also opposed to the project.

No vote will be made today by the Planning Commission. Even if it receives Planning Commission approval, it is not at all certain the American Commerce Center will be built. The property owners, Walnut Street Capital L.L.C. have not attempted a project anywhere near as large as this before, and some doubt they will be able to attract the tenants needed to secure financing for the skyscraper, which would likely cost about $1 billion to build.