Dive Brief:

• Cambridge, MA, could be home to New England’s tallest building if the City Council approves its construction in the heart of Kendall Square in the city’s downtown. A meeting is planned for later this month.

• Although the city’s planning board has, in the past, denied permits for buildings taller than 350 feet, it is considering allowing a tower as tall as 1,000 feet. If that is built, it will overtake the 800- foot, 60-story John Hancock tower as the region’s tallest building.

• The skyscraper would be the centerpiece of a 14-acre federal government site that the city plans to develop for residential, retail and business use.

Dive Insight:

Council members are weighing redevelopment to as many as 10 acres. Taller buildings can be more impressive from afar, but one councilman argues the expense and wide shadows skyscrapers cast is not worth it. The Boston Business Journal called Kendall Square "one of the hottest — and tightest — real estate markets in the country." Technology and life science companies are "clamoring" for office space there, the publication reported.