Renovations have begun on the storefront at 4533 Baltimore Ave., which will be the location of a controversial Subway restaurant. Judging by the sign above, some people are still not happy about it.

The Spruce Hill Community Association last night unanimously supported a proposal to replace the Risque adult video shop at the corner of 43rd and Chestnut with an “upscale” liquor store.

SHCA members expressed hope that the liquor store, which the state would like to move into the 5,000-square-foot Risque property in the Chestnut Street Plaza, would be similar to the “super store” at 1218 Chestnut St. and would not serve pints, half-pints or fortified wine. The proposed store would also replace the adjacent check cashing place.

Last night’s vote, which came during the association’s regularly monthly meeting, followed a widely reported zoning committee meeting earlier this month.

The proposed store has attracted support since the closure earlier this year of the Wine and Spirits store at 4049 Market St., sending many shoppers to the often crowded shop near 49th and Baltimore. A new store at 43rd and Chestnut, one member pointed out, would provide service to the growing number of BYOB restaurants in the area.

But there is also opposition to the store, mostly from Muslim residents who live near the Chestnut Street Plaza. Some 40 people attended the earlier zoning meeting to voice opposition, though that was not included in most reports. The plaza also includes a halal restaurant and butcher shop. The Masjid al-Jamia mosque is a block away on 43rd and Walnut.

The SHCA vote has no legal ramifications but provides a sign of community support for the liquor store, which could open within a few months. SHCA members also voiced hope that the state’s interest in the location might provide a chance to improve the lighting and outside aesthetic of the plaza.

 
Mayor Michael Nutter revived plans yesterday to renovate West Philadelphia’s landmark Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co. building at 46th & Market into a new, “state of the art” police headquarters. The sprawling 86-year old building, which sits on 15 acres, has been partially vacant since 1983 when the company abandoned it and was featured on the endangered properties list.

“This is a smart consolidation which will allow us to sell existing assets, create new opportunities for development at those sites, and revitalize part of West Philadelphia much in need of investment,” Nutter said during his annual budget speech during a City Council meeting yesterday.

Under the plan, the building would also host the City morgue and Health offices.

The move would leave the current headquarters, the aging “roundhouse” near 7th and Race streets, empty. Its sale could help offset the renovation of the Provident building.

The plan, which would have cost about $70 million, was originally proposed in 2008 but was shelved due to the recession, Philly.com reports. The cost of the current renovation project will be determined during the design process in the next year. The building renovation may take up to two years.

The city is also building a juvenile detention center on five acres at the site.

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The Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) is awaiting an opinion from Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s office before it decides whether to allow a city developer to convert the old Apple Storage building on 52nd Street near Hadfield Street to more than 100 loft apartments.

The proposed development has become a potential hotspot of gentrification along 52nd Street, although the feedback that the ZBA has received so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

The property investment firm Iron Stone, which has developed high-end apartments elsewhere in the city, proposes to convert the commercial building into 112 loft-style apartments. The plan also includes 2,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor and 92 parking spaces in the rear of the building. The building is currently designated as industrial and Iron Stone is seeking a residential zoning classification.

The community organization Cedar Park Neighbors has posted an online petition aimed at convincing Blackwell to support the project.

The project’s ZBA file contains more than 30 letters in support of the project from nearby homeowners and businesses.

Homeowner Cheshire Augusta, who lives two blocks from the project on 51st Street, wrote the ZBA:

“My family and I would be delighted to see growth at the west end of the 50th Street to 52nd Street section of the Baltimore Avenue corridor. So exciting!”

Renee McBride-Williams, an executive producer at the West Philadelphia community radio station WPEB 88.1, wrote that replacing the “dreary, unsafe, abandoned building” would “improve the quality of life in our community.”

Other letters of support came from community leaders, block captains and business owners.

The most vocal opponent of the project has been Shawn Kelly of the Community Achievement Association, who has argued that the building should retain its industrial designation and that businesses that could provide needed jobs in the neighborhood should be sought to fill it. He also voiced concern about the availability of affordable or Section 8 housing if the project goes through.

As a private investor that is not requesting government funds, Iron Stone is under no obligation to provide subsidized housing.

But positive feedback about the projects have far outweighed detractors.

Seth Budick, a block captain on the 1000 block of S. 50th Street, argued in a letter to the ZBA that the project “would inject new life onto that street, creating a livelier and safer environment for the entire neighborhood by putting people back on the street and eyes in the windows.”

A community meeting is scheduled for tonight to discuss the proposal to turn the former Apple Storage building near 52nd and Baltimore, which is now vacant, into residential apartments.

The private equity investment firm Iron Stone, which has developed high-end apartments elsewhere in the city, proposes to convert the commercial building into 112 loft-style apartments. The plan also includes 2,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor and 92 parking spaces in the rear of the building.

Members of the community group Cedar Park Neighbors and the Baltimore Avenue Business Association support the plan as a way to spur development along the Baltimore Avenue commercial corridor. Some concerns have been voiced about the affordability of the apartments and possible property tax increases resulting from the project.

The plan still needs zoning approval to switch the building’s designation from commercial to residential. Discussion of that zoning variance will be the focus of tonight’s meeting, which is being held at the Arnett A.M.E. Church at 815 S. 53rd Street (near Whitby Ave.) starting at 7 p.m. Among those scheduled to be in attendance tonight is a representative of the Office of Property Assessment, who will address concerns about increased property taxes.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment has changed its mind and given the go ahead for a Subway restaurant to be located in a vacant storefront at 4533 Baltimore Ave.

The Board voted on Feb. 1 to approve the Subway, reversing a decision it made last month to deny the application because of concerns of nearby neighbors about additional traffic in the alley behind the proposed location.

The Board’s decision followed a “plea for reconsideration” from the Spruce Hill Community Association and the Subway franchisee’s attorney. In a letter to the Board dated mid January, Barry Grossbach, who heads a committee that considers zoning issues for the SHCA, wrote that the Subway would provide a stable tenant for the storefront property and that the Association was “at a loss” about the previous decision to deny Subway a take-out certificate that would enable it to open.

The Subway would be the first chain restaurant on that section of Baltimore Avenue, where many businesses are locally owned.

“‘Mom and Pop’ businesses are often operating at the margins and while they remain the central and cherished fabric of our neighborhood commerce, we are always fearful that what is here today might be gone tomorrow,” Grossbach wrote. “Subway … promised a degree of stability that any corridor would welcome.”

More than a dozen nearby residents wrote letters to the Board to voice their opposition to the Subway, including state Rep. James Roebuck, who lives on 46th Street.

“I live a block from this location and I too share these concerns about the impact a Subway would have on my community,” he wrote.

Appeals of the decision can be filed until March 2.