ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Allentown Planning Commission reviewed a preliminary/final plan for a high-rise apartment building Tuesday afternoon at city hall.
The proposal, known as the Peregrine Tower and offered by land development company Arthur A. Swallow Associates, calls for a 37-story mixed-use apartment building at 90 S. Ninth St.
The project has been before the planning commission previously with various revisions and owners over the last decade-plus. Tuesday’s proposal, which unofficially resembles a pencil tower, was considered an official resubmission. The firm Umran Global Investment purchased the property in 2023.
City planning officials said the plan was not in character with the neighborhood. However, planners noted their enthusiasm for it.
“I’m not scared of the height or density,” Chairman Christian Brown said. “It’s going to do a lot of very interesting things to our skyline. I really think there is something unique about this…We potentially have a winner here.”
However, Brown added that the building’s podium or base should be more compatible to the neighborhood. One planner agreed.
“The five stories down to the ground are the most important,” Planner Craig Beavers said.
A project representative said the current proposal was “designed in a more modern fashion,” which if approved, would bring Allentown “into a more modern era.”
Residential units will occupy the 37th floor, whereas previously, a restaurant was planned.
Planners tabled the plan, in part for architectural revisions.