Media Coverage

American Commerce Center Plans to Be Presented to Philadelphia Planning Commission

Peter Kelsen was interviewed by the Philadelphia Business Journal in regards to the proposed AmericanCommerceCenter.  Hill International Real Estate Partners will go before the Philadelphia Planning Commission, and are hopeful that the Commission will vote in favor of the project. 

Though the developer is aware of the next-door Kennedy House’s worries, Hill International is “cautiously optimistic” the commission will support the re-zoning, said Mr. Kelsen, an attorney with Blank Rome, who is representing Hill International.

The developer and Mr. Kelsen have met with community groups, including Beller and Kennedy House residents, since March in an attempt to settle their concerns.

“We have been working to address and resolve concerns and to engage in a meaningful dialogue and get into specifics on what it means to be too big or too dense,” Mr. Kelsen said. “You can’t address it meaningfully if you don’t get specifics.”

To ease concerns over density, architects have tweaked the building’s design to open it up to mitigate any perceived bulkiness, Mr. Kelsen said. “This is not a solid box that races up to the sky.”

The AmericanCommerceCenter is projected to create more than 6,800 jobs and $270 million in earnings to Philadelphia, according to an impact study conducted by Econsult Corp. 

There are other benefits that go beyond job creation and tax money, Mr. Kelsen said. For example, the developer will extend the public transit concourse, seek LEED gold certification, create indoor and outdoor public spaces including a museum and gallery, and incorporate underground parking and street-level retail, among other features.

“It energizes the immediate area,” Mr. Kelsen said.

"City Planning Panel set to Vote on Tallest Building Project" by Natalie Kostelni appeared in the Philadelphia Business Journal on November 14, 2008.  For more information, please visit philadelphia.bizjournals.com.