by KYW’s Mike Dunn

Plans for a new high-rise condo near the Ben Franklin Parkway have City Council considering whether to impose height limits on new construction around the thoroughfare.

Fairmount residents are already up in arms over plans for a 500-foot tall condo near the Parkway called “Barnes Tower” and City Councilman Darrell Clarke says he’s hearing rumblings of two or three other such projects looming.

So Clarke has introduced a bill that, if approved, would impose a 250-foot maximum height on or near the Parkway. Any project higher would need a variance:

“What we’d like to do is to have some sort of moratorium, so that we can talk about the proposals, or any additional proposals that may come down the line, to make sure that they fit within the criteria that we’ve established along the Parkway.”

Residents say the high rises would create huge shadows, and increase traffic and parking problems. Clarke’s bill now goes to committee.