5 City Center Supersizing Allentown

The Morning Call: Allentown's Five City Center plans...."A 1,400-capacity concert hall hosting 200 to 250 concerts a year would be part of a proposed $250 million Five City Center complex in Allentown... the 24-story Innovation Tower at Eighth and Hamilton streets — 225 upscale apartments, a garage with more than 800 parking spaces and the park."



Courtesy: "The Morning Call"

CommentaryAt this point the blank check written in Harrisburg for NIZ is headed towards the $2 billion mark. I really truly hope this building taller then the PPL building works out but is this building too ambitious?

Unless the developer has a very successful plan for relocating New York City businesses here I have my doubts. If he does--and that succeeds--it will finally bring to realization what the NIZ was intended to do all along--bring new businesses into Pennsylvania.

I'm not too sure about the promised 200+ concerts. Seems a over statement. That said sometimes bigger isn't always better. I've never had a desire to live in NYC as much as I like visiting it. Nor do I want Allentown to become like a 6th borough of New York City. However I tend to think this is where we're headed and this will pan out eventually whether I or other old codgers like myself approve or not.

Such is the way of the world when it comes to so-called progress.