A rendering of the proposed Trolley Car Station restaurant at 40th Street Trolley Portal.

Update (April 8, 2016) – The Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the plan for the Trolley Car Restaurant following a March 29 hearing. Specifically, the ZBA approved a variance for the building as a sit-down restaurant. Construction is expected to begin this fall.

The public got a look at plans on Tuesday evening for the development of the 40th Street Trolley Portal, which includes a two-story, 125-seat restaurant with take-out beer and outdoor seating.

University City District officials and the owner of the Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy presented the plans to the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee and about a dozen members of the public.

Now an expanse of concrete criss-crossed with trolley tracks, the portal will be turned into a more navigable public space complete with moveable tables and chairs, enough racks to accommodate 48 bikes and “vegetation everywhere,” Nate Hommel, UCD’s director of planning and design, told the zoning committee. The trolleys will still run through it, but it will be more pedestrian friendly.  Continue Reading

Just in time for spring, two West Philly-based baked goods businesses have announced that they will be having grand openings this weekend.

Everything is ready for Dottie’s Donuts official opening on Friday, March 18 (Photo from Dottie’s Donuts Facebook page)

The long-anticipated opening date for Dottie’s Donuts’ first brick-and-mortar location at 4529 Springfield Avenue was announced this morning on the popular business’s Facebook page. According to the announcement, the shop will officially open on Friday, March 18, and the hours for now will be 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Along with a wide selection of vegan donuts, the shop will sell bagels and other baked goods, plus coffee and tea. You can read more about Dottie’s Donuts and the people behind it here.

If you didn’t get a chance yet to check out the recently opened Lil’ Pop Shop‘s bakery, here’s a great opportunity this weekend. The new bakery and shop at 4608 Woodland Ave. is inviting everyone to its grand opening celebration on Saturday, March 19. Stop by any time between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday and enjoy free treats, coffee, and spritzers (fruit-based seltzer drinks).  Continue Reading

Police are looking for a young man, who got into a minivan parked on the 4800 block of Walnut Street with a 4-month-old infant in the back seat and drove off. The baby was later found unharmed in Germantown.

The incident happened at 7:50 a.m. when the minivan owner and the baby’s father left his car with the engine running at 4847 Walnut St. to make a purchase at a food store, according to police. The child was left secured in the back seat. When the man returned a short time later he discovered that his car along with his son was gone.

The child, who was strapped in his car seat when he was abducted, was found about 30 minutes later near Penn and Green Streets, according to police. The thief reportedly found a phone number inside the car and sent a text message telling where the child can be found. Police found the baby boy at that location outside in the rain, but unharmed, according to a report by NBC10.  Continue Reading

New clay studio is opening this spring at 711 S. 50th Street (photo from Black Hound Clay Studio’s Facebook page).

A new clay studio and co-working space for artists is coming this spring to Cedar Park. West Philly resident and artist Bethany Rusen will open Black Hound Clay Studio later this spring at 711 S. 50th Street, just around the corner from Dock Street Brewery.

Renovations on the space are currently underway. To help cover start-up costs and other expenses, a raffle fundraiser will take place on Saturday, March 12 at Art Star Gallery and Boutique. Rusen says that quite a few West Philly artists and businesses have already donated items, including Dock Street, Talking Headz Salon, and Satellite Cafe.

Rusen is excited about the new studio, which is a “huge open space with 15 foot ceilings.”

Once opened, the studio will offer a co-working space for ceramic artists for a low monthly fee. Those who are interested in the space can email Rusen at Bethany@blackhoundclay.com to be put on the waiting list. The tentative plan also includes pottery classes starting in Fall 2016.  Continue Reading

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell was at a building site at the corner of Farragut and Sansom this morning as a modular apartment building was being dropped into place.

Another pre-fab, modular apartment building is going up along Sansom Street. This one is behind the Sunoco at Sansom and Farragut.

Even Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell was on hand when they started dropping the pieces in place on Tuesday morning.

The building’s units were dropped in one by one by a crane parked along Farragut Street.  Continue Reading

The Penn Alexander School’s first and only principal, Sheila Sydnor, will retire at the end of this school year, and The School District of Philadelphia has announced a search for a new principal to lead the school starting from the 2016-2017 school year.

                     Penn Alexander School

Sydnor has served as Penn Alexander School Principal since it opened in 2001. A veteran district teacher and administrator, she was selected from a pool of 60 candidates. Under her leadership the University of Pennsylvania-assisted neighborhood school has earned a reputation for educational excellence. The school was named as the best K-8 school in the district in the 2014-2015 School Progress Report.

On Wednesday, March 9, community members are invited to join in the conversation regarding the search for a new principal. A meeting with the search committee, which is chaired by Sean Conley, assistant superintendent for Neighborhood Network Two of the School District of Philadelphia, and Dr. Pam Grossman, dean of the Penn Graduate School of Education, will take place from 7 – 8 p.m. in Penn Alexander’s cafeteria.

The committee is holding a series of outreach meetings with key stakeholders. These meetings are an opportunity for community members to learn about the search process and voice their ideas.

When: Wednesday, March 9, 7-8 p.m.
Where: Penn Alexander School Cafeteria; Enter on 43rd street (between Locust and Spruce)