An artist’s rendering of the proposed 76-unit apartment building with 15 units of affordable housing at 48th and Chester.

Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN), the neighborhood community association, has released a statement supporting the controversial apartment development project at 48th and Chester, two weeks after Councilmember Jamie Gauthier opposed the proposed development. The project has also prompted some intense discussions and protests among many community members in the recent months.

“Cedar Park Neighbors is proud to support the development of a new apartment building at the corner of 48th Street and Chester Avenue,” the statement reads. Continue Reading

Artist’s rendering of Phase 2 of Wade Flats at 53rd and Whitby.

Residents got a closer look at a proposed 53-unit “equitable and inclusionary” apartment complex near 53rd and Baltimore set to begin construction later this month.

The local real estate developer Spak Group hosted the first of monthly info sessions with residents related to WADE Flats, which will be built along a vacant stretch of parcels at 5300-5310 Whitby Ave. – a couple of blocks south of Baltimore Ave. in Southwest Philly. Continue Reading

Rendering of WADE Flats (Courtesy of the Spak Group).

The Spak Group, a local real estate company behind the recent development at 5050 Baltimore Avenue, is working on another housing development in West Philly – at the intersection of 53rd St. and Whitby Ave. The Spak Group is calling the new project, WADE Flats, an “equitable and inclusionary” development without public subsidy, just like 5050 Baltimore.

WADE Flats is a mixed-use and mixed-income development. The project, which will include two phases, will house four commercial spaces ranging in size from 800 square feet to 2,500 square feet, and 53 residential units from studios to 2-bedrooms. Rents will range from $795 per month to $1,625 per month. Continue Reading

An artist’s rendering of the proposed apartment building at 48th and Chester, which would be built on the site of a former dog park.

The West Philadelphia nursing home that is proposing to construct an 83-unit apartment building on a former dog park at 48th and Chester introduced its plan to an online community meeting last night.

Owners of the Renaissance Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center seek to combine several land parcels adjacent to the nursing home and are asking the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) for a blanket zoning designation that would allow them to erect the four-story building. That zoning change requires community input before it goes to the ZBA in a few months.  Continue Reading

The University City District this week released its “State of University City,” the annual report that details home price increases, population shifts and research, retail and office space successes in the area roughly bounded by the Schuylkill River to the east, 50th Street to the west, Market Street/Powelton Avenue/Spring Garden Street to the north and Woodland Avenue/University Avenue to the south.

The report includes data from 2019 and shows a decline or levelling off in real estate development in the area, a continued increase in home values and a slight aging of the population compared to 2000. The report does not include demographic information related to race or ethnicity.  Continue Reading

The city has launched an Eviction Diversion Program to help tenants and landlords with payment arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program enables landlords and tenants to arrive at an agreement that works for both parties, without having to go to court. The program is a required process for all landlords with tenants who have had difficulty paying rent due to a COVID-19 related hardship.

This summer, the City introduced two phases of rental assistance, but doesn’t have enough funding to meet the overwhelming need.  Continue Reading