Real estate developer Post Brothers announced recently that it bought the Garden Court Plaza (4701 Pine St.) and is planning upgrades and renovations that has current residents wondering if they will be priced out of their apartments.

Built in the 1920s, the 13-story apartment building, which includes 146 units, was purchased for an undisclosed price as part of Post Brothers $250 million University City acquisition strategy, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal and other news outlets.

A founder of Post Brothers told the Philadelphia Business Journal that there is a shortage of housing geared toward “young professionals” in the area, which he compared to Cambridge, Mass., and that the firm’s strategy is to “upgrade and reposition” properties.

Post Brothers will do substantial renovations to Garden Court Plaza’s interior and exterior and add upscale amenities, according to a press release.

Some current residents who have contacted West Philly Local and asked not be named say they are bracing for big changes, including a substantial rent increase. They said that the new management company has begun asking for tax and pet vaccination information from residents.

CityLife Neighborhood Clinics, which focuses on providing comprehensive care to seniors, opened the doors of its University City clinic (37 S. 40th St., 2nd Fl) last week, the third CityLife clinic in the city to begin welcoming members in recent weeks. Another West Philly-based CityLife clinic recently opened in the Spruce Hill neighborhood – at 4237 Walnut Street. The timing of the clinic openings coincided with Open Enrollment for Medicare Advantage, which kicked off on October 15.

CityLife recently announced the addition of Philadelphia native Dr. Marisa Gefen, a primary care physician, as its Practice Team Leader. In addition to seeing patients and leading an integrated primary care team at CityLife’s University City location, in her new role, Dr. Gefen is responsible for setting clinical standards and protocols for CityLife’s three Philadelphia clinics in University City, Spruce Hill, and The Avenue in North Philadelphia.

“CityLife’s model represents a new type of care – one that is designed for the member and built on teamwork, relationships, and service,” Dr. Gefen said in a statement.

CityLife’s three Philadelphia clinics care for members through a holistic model of team-based primary care. Primary care teams are comprised of CityLife members, their families, a doctor or nurse practitioner, nurse, clinical and administrative assistants, and medication and health guides. Clinics offer convenient hours, access to staff 24/7, walk-in and same-day care, and transportation.  Continue Reading

Chili Szechuan closed its Baltimore Avenue location after a little more than 2.5 years of operation. (Archived photo/West Philly Local)

We received some requests from readers asking what’s happening with Chili Szechuan’s Baltimore Avenue location as it seems to have closed. As you may know, the popular Chinese eatery opened a new location on the 4200 block of Chestnut Street in the summer, and the owner, Kangzhi Ma, said she might close the Baltimore Ave. location, which opened in early 2013, at the end of the year. So we can confirm that Chili Szechuan at 4626 Baltimore Avenue has already closed, so that the owners can focus solely on the Chestnut Street location. As as one of Chili Szechuan workers we spoke to back in May said, “it is a bigger place and close to campuses.”

So it will be interesting to see what business will occupy the now empty storefront at 4626 Baltimore Avenue, a very lucrative piece of commercial property.

Bob Casey (left) and Leo Eisenstein (photo from Bikram Yoga West Philly Facebook page)

The Bikram Yoga studio, which opened at 42nd and Chestnut in 2012, has a new management team and has changed its name from Bikram Yoga University City to Bikram Yoga West Philly, according to information posted on their Facebook page. The studio has been closed for renovation, which includes repainting and remodeling, since September 22, and is expected to reopen in early November.

The management changes include Leo Eisenstein, a yoga instructor from Bikram Yoga Philadelphia (and a veteran bartender!), joining the team as studio director. Bob Casey from the original management team will continue his work at the studio. We’ll keep you posted about the grand opening of Bikram Yoga West Philly. Also, visit their Facebook page for updates.
 

Great news for two local non-profit organizations – The Enterprise Center and Bartram’s Garden – which have been selected to receive generous grants.

Bartram’s Garden has announced on their website that they are a recipient of a $2 million grant from the William Penn Foundation. “This funding will increase access to the Schuylkill River and promote Bartram’s Garden as a cultural hub in Southwest Philadelphia. Among the areas targeted are capital projects and programming for enhanced use of the river as a community recreational space and environmental center,” reads the announcement. The grant will be distributed over three years.

The Enterprise Center, a West Philly business accelerator, is in line for up to $1.2 million ScaleUp America grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to reports. The purpose of the ScaleUp America funding is to help existing businesses in underserved neighborhoods grow. The funding will be used for training, technical assistance, and networking events for small businesses in the area, especially those run by minorities and women, Philly.com reports. The first portion of the grant, $239,323, will come in the first year. The Enterprise Center expects to receive $1.2 million over five years.

Hanniya Mitchell (photo from Philly Police Blog).

UPDATE (10/21/2015, 8:35 a.m.): 13-year-old Hanniya Mitchell, who had been missing since Monday morning, was found safe, according to police.

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a 13-year-old West Philadelphia resident, Hanniya Mitchell. Hanniya was last seen around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, leaving her residence on the 400 block of S. 62nd Street. She attends the Bryant Elementary School, located at 6001 Cedar Ave., however she hasn’t attended school since she was reported missing.

Hanniya is 4 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs 115lbs, with brown eyes, medium build, dark brown complexion, and black wavy shoulder length hair. She was last seen wearing a blue Polo shirt, khaki pants, gold jacket with fur, and red sneakers.

Anyone with information on Hanniya’s whereabouts, please contact Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183 / 3184 or call 911.