The battle over Toll Brothers' proposed high-rise, mixed-use building in Philadelphia's Jewelers Row continues, and with the latest ruling by the Philadelphia Historical Commission, it doesn't appear to be anywhere near the end.
The properties at 704 and 706-8 Sansom St., which Toll Brothers bought in 2015 and 2016, were nominated for historical designation months ago by opponents of the new development. For the second time, the Historical Commission has decided to table its decision until other legal aspects of the project have been worked out, according to according to Curbed Philly.
Demolition of the buildings in question was approved back in October, after appeals to the board of Licensing & Inspections were denied, but new plans revealed by Toll Brothers in December that proposed to increase the size of the project from 16 to 29 floors meant new appeals could be filed, and they are still pending. Mayor Jim Kenney called the late change in the proposal "disturbing."
L&I reportedly has asked Toll Brothers for more information to assist in deciding the new appeal, and the Historical Commission indicated it would not make a decision until L&I had made its own.
