We dig this song and newly released video, “Walk It Off,” by West Philly’s indie hip hop artist and emcee Sterling Duns (Facebook page). A part of the vid was filmed on Hazel Avenue, according to the musician.

Sterling Duns describes himself as an instrumentalist, poet, hip-hop artist, comedy improviser, and astronaut enthusiast!

The revised plan for 4224 Baltimore Avenue unveiled last night includes two sections – one five and one eight stories – a large restaurant facing Clark Park and a retail fitness center.

Property developers looking to build a residential complex with commercial space that would include a large restaurant and retail fitness club at 43rd and Baltimore (across from Clark Park) unveiled a revised proposal to about 75 residents last night and received mostly positive feedback.

The meeting was the first airing of the plan before the Spruce Hill Community Association’s zoning committee, whose job is to gather public input and make recommendations on everything from the type of retailers that are pursued to landscaping, lighting and building materials. Since the plan needs zoning variances to include retail and more stories than currently is permitted, it must go through the neighborhood and city zoning process.

Similar plans were the subject of several public meetings over the summer.

The glass, brick and stone panel building would include 132 mostly one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and condos aimed at young professionals from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), many of whom now live in Center City.

“It should be something that is friendly and broken up,” said architect Cecil Baker of the building which would use Nichiha exterior panels.

The plan drew some complaints that the building was out of character with the nearby Victorian homes.

“Our opinion is that you build with the technology of today, not to build something today that tries to look like it’s from 200 years in the past,” said developer and Spruce Hill resident Omar Blaik (whose U3 Ventures is working on the plan for the property owner).

Others complained that the neighborhood does not need more apartments.

“We do not need more high density housing in this neighborhood,” said one resident.

Concerns were also voiced about the large trees on the property. A plan on which trees would be saved will be available soon, the developers said.

Informal talks have begun with retailers to find tenants for the 17,000 feet of commercial space, which will likely include a large fitness center and a full-service restaurant with outdoor seating facing Clark Park along 43rd Street. Other retail options include a a dry cleaner. Blaik said Penn’s Vet School has expressed interest in opening a space that would be for a “neighborhood use.”

The plan includes 65 underground parking spaces and 50 indoor bike parking spaces.

Like the plan proposed this summer, the newest plan includes two connected sections. One, along 43rd Street, would be mostly owner-occupied condos. The section further east on Baltimore, which would be taller and include the first-floor 10,000-square-foot fitness center, would be apartments.

When pressed for likely rental and purchase prices, Blaik said condos would likely be in around $450 per square foot and apartment rentals would be between $1,700 and $2,000 per month.

“The question is, does that market exist in West Philadelphia?,” Blaik said. “We don’t know yet.”

The project grew out of a concern that the property owners, the Clarkmore Group, might build a “by right” residential complex that did not include retail or parking, which is permitted under current zoning. Some residents believe the threat of a possibly ugly project there is being used to scare residents into accepting the current project. “By right” projects are those that do not seek zoning variances if things like retail or parking are not permitted.

But Blaik and SHCA zoning chair Barry Grossbach assured residents that many similar projects in the neighborhood that were built “by right” used very little creativity or community input.

“More and more we have developers coming into this neighborhood saying to us, ‘we are going to do what we can as a matter of right because we don’t want to go through your zoning process,” Grossbach said.

The next step will be an SHCA zoning report based on the conceptual drawings released during Wednesday’s meeting. If the plan passes through the formal zoning process, which will require more detailed drawings and blueprints, construction would take 18-24 months, Blaik said.

More details on the proposals will be available here. – Mike Lyons

Power went out to hundreds of homes concentrated around 44th and 45th Streets from Pine to Chester at about 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday night. Scattered outages have been reported as far west as 48th Street and as far south as Springfield Avenue.

A PECO spokesperson said that crews were on the scene of an “equipment issue” in the neighborhood. They estimated that the power would be restored by 11 p.m. Wednesday night.

Please feel free to leave a comment below to describe your situation and if your power is restored.

Gary’s Nails Salon (Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local)

Well, readers, it looks like Gary’s Nails Salon which was severely damaged after Elena’s Soul Christmas Eve fire in 2012, is coming back better than ever.

As we reported in October, Gary’s Nails was undergoing some roof renovations after almost a year of silence since the demolition of Elena’s Soul Lounge destroyed the nail spot at 4910 Baltimore Avenue. Turns out, as we saw when we passed by yesterday afternoon, there’s a bit more work happening on the building.

When we peaked inside Gary’s Nails through the empty window frame, it looked as though the interior is shaping up for a revival. Multiple beams were erected throughout the salon, forming what seem to be the foundation for new bays. We also noticed two permits on the wall—according to Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections, Gary’s Nails was issued an electrical permit on January 16, which is active, to install a service breaker; and a plumbing permit on January 14 (updated on February 19), also active, to install toilets and bathrooms, sinks, ten pedicure chairs, and a laundry tub.

No one was on site to give us more details, so we’ll post an update as soon as we have more information.

–Annamarya Scaccia

Photo via Greensgrow West Facebook page.

Community members are invited to check out the newest location of the urban farming hub Greensgrow Farms beginning Thursday, April 3. The opening party will be on Saturday, April 5!

Last month, we wrote about Greensgrow Farms’ plans to open a West Philly location at 4912 Baltimore Avenue, the former home of Elena’s Soul Bar & Lounge destroyed by fire in December 2012.

Greensgrow West will include a garden center featuring veggie starts, soils, tools, annuals and perennials, fruit trees, and expert help. The new location will also have a seasonal farmstand and CSA pick-up every Friday. Finally, Greensgrow West is planning to offer educational workshops for the community.

Greensgrow West hours, starting April 3, will be:

Garden Center: Thursday-Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
CSA Pick-up & Farmstand: Fridays 3:00-6:00 p.m.

For more information, visit http://www.greensgrow.org/ or facebook.com/GreensgrowWest

Sometimes we get caught up in our own stuff that we miss interesting little details that abound in this part of the city. We spotted this cool horse-head post while walking around the hood. Can you guess where it is?