A Third Center City Skyscraper Not Currently on Planning Horizon, Says Comcast Corp.
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Comcast officials say they remain focused on completing their second skyscraper in center city Philadelphia, and are discounting speculation that they're also planning a third.
The executive director for the Support Center for Child Advocates, located on the northwest corner of 19th and Cherry Streets, confirms that the building was purchased late last year by Liberty Property Trust. Liberty Property is the developer that built the Comcast Center and is building the cable giant's second tower, the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center.
The purchase prompted a report in the Philadelphia Business Journal of growing speculation that Liberty Property Trust and Comcast Corporation are now considering a third tower.
But Comcast spokesman John Demming says that's not the case -- at least for now.
"We're focused on building the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, and are not currently planning for a third building," he told KYW Newsradio this morning.
A spokesperson for Liberty Property Trust said the firm cannot comment on the purchase of the 19th and Cherry Street location. However, a source close to the situation told KYW Newsradio that the companies believe "it would not be a bad thing to prepare for future development."
The Comcast Center, at 17th Street and JFK Boulevard, opened in 2008. After Comcast purchased NBC Universal, it needed more office space.
Construction of the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, at 18th and Arch Streets, is underway now and is expected to be complete in early 2018. It will rise 59 stories and will be the tallest building in the country outside of New York and Chicago.
