Philadelphia's skyline will soon see its first major facelift in more than a decade when the new 975-foot Comcast Center is topped off in the fall of 2007.
Coupled with the Cira Centre, which now stands above 30th Street Station, this new construction sends a positive message -- an important one for students who will soon be seeking careers -- that the city is serious about business growth.
Philadelphia is well-served by retaining Comcast, one of its largest employers, even if it means a loss of tax revenue in the short run. And it's not as if $40 million in state funding did not play a role in the decision.
The fact that the nation's largest cable television provider chose to keep to its Philadelphia roots is an encouraging sign that the city remains an attractive place to do business. But there is always more that can be done to improve the business climate.
Comcast plans to consolidate some jobs from other locations to the new headquarters, but let's not forget that the company will be leaving behind many empty offices at its current Center City location, so the job gains are minimal. The Cira Centre has so far failed to attract significant tenants who will be new to the city.
Further, hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space will soon be added to an already-thin market. In the short term, this means even more unrented offices.
But if this is a first step in curbing the business exodus from the Delaware Valley, those dark office windows will soon be lit with business growth.
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