A nearly 70,000-square-foot class-A office building is being planned along Third Street, according to plans submitted with the city’s development services office Wednesday.
 
Called the Third and Princess Office Building, the five-story development is proposed to rise on a 0.45-parcel at 101 N. Third St. in the central business district in downtown Wilmington, according to documents submitted with the city. Plans include a parking garage on the first level with four floors of office space totaling 69,908 square feet.
 
PNC Bank’s downtown branch is currently located on the site.

Jeff Walton, a city planner, said Wednesday that developers plan to demolish the existing PNC Bank building, and construct the five-story office facility on the site. He said the proposed new office building would also be constructed on existing exterior parking fronting Princess Street, and includes a drive-thru -- although Walton could not confirm the drive-thru would be used for a bank or other retail activities.
 
Chris George, branch manager of the Third Street PNC Bank, did not return a phone call for comment by press time Wednesday afternoon.

Members of the Wilmington Development Services' Technical Review Committee will examine the proposed project in detail at its Jan. 30 meeting.
 
Brian Eckel, a partner and principal broker with Wilmington-based Cape Fear Commercial listed as a contact for the project, could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
 
Officials with Wilmington-based LS3P Associates Ltd., which completed the architectural renderings for the new office building, and Rob Balland, project engineer with Wilmington-based Paramounte Engineering Inc. listed as the project’s site engineer, also could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
 
No timeline for construction was filed with the city.
 
If the project is approved, it will be the first significant class-A office development undertaken in the central business district in recent years since the completion of the Bank Of America office building at the corner of Third and Walnut streets in 2009.