ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Malvern, Pa.-based Liberty Property Trust has been selected by locally-based PPL Corp. to develop a commercial project in downtown Allentown. PPL has expanded the scope of its planned development located on the former Hess’s property at the intersection of Ninth and Hamilton streets to include space for tenants in addition to PPL’s energy marketing operation. PPL and Liberty are preparing an agreement that will allow PPL to lease a majority of the proposed project on a long-term basis.
PPL and Liberty have retained Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York, which has designed buildings for the Walt Disney Co., Harvard Business School and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, to design the project. PPL expects to unveil the final details of the development, including building sketches, by the end of October.
The building is expected to up to 7 stories totaling 230,000 sq. ft. PPL plans to use approximately 170,000 sq. ft., and approximately 30,000 sq. ft. of office space will be available for lease. The ground floor of the building will include retail space.
A new parking deck will be constructed at the site of an existing company parking lot on Linden Street between Ninth and Tenth streets. The deck will provide approximately 1,000 parking spaces for PPL employees and the building’s tenants.
Concurrent with the construction of the new development, PPL also plans to renovate the lobby and public areas of its headquarters tower at Ninth and Hamilton streets.