Developer Ryan Spak, left, discusses “5050 Baltimore” during a zoning meeting at the Calvary Center last night (Photo by West Philly Local).

A 12-unit residential building with ground-floor commercial that includes below-market units proposed for the corner of 51st and Baltimore drew overwhelming support during a Cedar Park Neighbors zoning meeting last night.

Proposed by West Philly-based developer Ryan Spak, “5050 Baltimore” would be a three-story building built on three oddly shaped lots at the triangular corner of 51st and Baltimore. The project needs zoning variances for an additional two residential units. Ten units is allowed by right. The project also needs a variance for a “group practitioner” – a mental health counseling non-profit – which is one of the tenants for the proposed commercial space.  Continue Reading

A group of community organizations are standing with residents of Dorsett Court (4710 Locust St.) and Admiral Court (237 S. 48th St.) apartment buildings who were recently given bogus eviction notices to scare tenants out and make way for the sale of the buildings. A court decision has staved off eviction for at least a few more weeks.

Residents and supporters gathered in front of the buildings, which are adjacent on the corner of 48th and Locust, at a rally yesterday organized by the Philadelphia Tenants Union (PTU), a grassroots organization focused on protecting renters from unfair evictions. Community Legal Services and the Public Interest Law Center are also assisting the roughly 70 residents who received the eviction notices. Some video of the event is available on the PTU Facebook page.  Continue Reading

UPDATE: A Dorset/Admiral Court Mass Eviction Rally, hosted by Philadelphia Tenants Union, will take place Monday, April 30, 4-5:30 p.m. at 4710 Locust St. For more information, visit the event Facebook page.

Residents of two apartment buildings, Admiral Court and Dorsett Court, located at 48th and Locust, were told earlier this month to move out by April 30, according to media and neighbor reports. The reason? The owner is reportedly selling the buildings, which include affordable, Section 8 housing.

According to the eviction letter, received by the tenants on April 9, the doors will be locked and utilities will be shut off April 30, so many residents are currently scrambling to find new places to live. About 70 tenants are working with Community Legal Services to determine their rights in this “unlawful” situation, according to a report by Philly.com.

The two four-story buildings include 105 apartments, about 30 percent of which are vacant, according to the report. The prospective buyer hasn’t yet been identified, but demand for market-rate apartments has ballooned in recent years. The buildings are across the street from the newly developed West Lofts (former West Philadelphia High School).  Continue Reading

A new retail and community services complex is coming to West Philadelphia’s Haddington-Cobbs Creek neighborhood. New Market West is a four story, 135,700 square foot hub which will be built on a 1.5 acre vacant site at 5901 Market Street, half a block from the 60th and Market Street El stop (see rendering).

The new building will house organizations focused on early childhood education, workforce development, educational and emergency support services, behavioral health service, and will include community-serving retail.

Governor Tom Wolf joined other state and city officials and representatives from local community organizations in a groundbreaking ceremony for the complex on Friday morning. During the ceremony, the governor announced the approval of $10.5 million in tax credits to support the project, in addition to the state’s $5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program investment announced in December. Continue Reading

If you’re not sure of what rights you have as a property renter, you can learn more at this week’s Tenant Rights Workshop in West Philly. The workshop will take place at Blackwell Regional Library (52nd and Sansom) on Wednesday, Jan.24, beginning at 6 p.m. and will cover various issues related to landlords or rental properties, including:

• Threats of eviction
• Concerns about getting priced out of your rental unit
• Discrimination in finding housing
• Questions about your rights as a renter

The workshop is presented by the Tenant Union Representative Network (TURN) and The Enterprise Center (TEC). Their work in the area is supported with funding from the City of Philadelphia’s Division of Housing and Community Development.

For more information, check out the event Facebook page.

Post Bros. co-founder Mike Pestronk during presentation of the proposed addition to the Garden Court Plaza at 47th and Pine at last night’s Garden Court zoning committee meeting.

A crowd of about 70 people gathered to hear about a proposed 243-unit addition to the Garden Court Plaza complex on the 4700 block of Pine Street voted overwhelmingly against the plan.

Proposed building rendering (view from Pine Street).

Post Bros., the current owners of Garden Court Plaza, want to erect an adjacent building that would bring the total number of residential units of the complex at the corner of 47th and Pine to 389. The plan requires the city to issue variances for both building height and density. Current zoning for the site allows for a building with a maximum height of 38 feet. The proposal would double the density maximum for the site, currently set at 170 units.  Continue Reading