Plans for a proposed 37-story \u201cpencil tower\u201d in Allentown \u2014 which have been in the works for years \u2014 could be finalized this week.<\/p>\n
After receiving a variance from the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board in July, the developer is scheduled to appear Tuesday before the city\u2019s planning commission.<\/p>\n
The agenda for the meeting, which is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. in City Council chambers, includes the Peregrine Tower, the name of the project at 90 S. Ninth St. that has been through several delays since it was proposed in 2013.<\/p>\n
Umran Global Investment LLC is seeking approval for a preliminary\/final plan.<\/p>\n
If built, the 420-foot-tall Peregrine Tower would become the Lehigh Valley\u2019s tallest building, eclipsing the nearby PPL Building, which is just shy of 322 feet high. The mixed-use building would have 250,140 square feet of space with 208 apartments. Umran\u2019s original plan to have a restaurant on the 37th floor was changed; it would have apartments instead. The first through fifth floors would have retail and office space.<\/p>\n
The zoning board approved the variance that allows a different sight triangle clearance \u2014 an open, unobstructed space required at a street corner that allows drivers to see oncoming traffic, pedestrians and cyclists.<\/p>\n
Umran maintained that any changes to accommodate the sight triangle issue would force changes to the building\u2019s design and create hardship.<\/p>\n
Planners gave a mostly positive hearing on the Peregrine Tower in June 2025<\/a> before it was tabled. Umran was scheduled to return in December, but the hearing was delayed<\/a>.<\/p>\n