Last December we reported that the Subway restaurant at 4533 Baltimore Ave. closed down for an indefinite time. Four months later the restaurant is still closed and a sign appeared on the building saying that the space is being leased by Mallin Panchelli Nadel Realty, Inc.

The 1,100-square-foot space with a basement is reportedly offered for $2,500 a month (the listing with more information and photos is here). All the equipment, fixtures and furniture left after Subway are still there and available for purchase, according to the listing.

Prior to Subway this space was used by small local businesses. The news of Subway opening in the space in 2012 wasn’t taken well by some community residents (see photo below). The restaurant became a focal point of controversy in 2011 and 2012 (read more here).

After many years of wishful thinking, high hopes and false starts, bike-share bicycles will be unleashed on the streets of Philadelphia tomorrow.

The bike share service Indego officially kicks off with a “ride off” beginning at Eakins Oval tomorrow morning to launch the service. Tickets for those inaugural rides are sold out. But you can get a bike and do your own ride off tomorrow if you like.

An important note for folks around here, though – the stations planned for Clark Park, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 44th and Walnut near the Supremo Shop ‘n Bag and Mantua Haverford Community Center (39th and Mt. Vernon) are still listed as “coming soon” or “unavailable” rather than “active” on the map of stations around the city.

That leaves eight stations in West Philly open for business tomorrow. See the map here.

Workers were tearing down a residential building, a part of a twin, on the 4700 block of Walnut Street today. The Philadelphia Licences and Inspections office deemed the building at 4729 Walnut St “imminently dangerous” and ordered it to be demolished after parts of its roof, wall, ceiling and floor collapsed on Friday. The license type for the property indicates that it was vacant.

Today is the last day to register for the May 19 Primary Election, which will very likely determine the next mayor of the city.

You can find your registration status here.  More info on registration is available at the Committee of 70 site here and you can find your polling place for the primary here. Also, here is a Committee of 70 “one pager” (it’s actually two pages) on the Primary.

West Philly residents will soon have a new place where you can take trash and recyclables, including large household items, e-waste and Christmas trees. A new, more conveniently located Sanitation Convenience Center is opening at 5100 Grays Avenue on Wednesday, April 22, when the Earth Day is celebrated worldwide. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the center and Earth Day celebration will start at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, and local residents are encouraged to come out and celebrate.

The facility was specifically designed for the needs of West Philadelphia residents.

In conjunction with the celebration of Earth Day, the Philadelphia Streets Department will offer information on maintaining litter free communities, recycling education and the Recycling Rewards Program. Representatives from the Streets Department’s Sanitation Division will be on hand to distribute educational materials and answer questions. Recycling bins and other giveaways will also be available.  Continue Reading

30th Street Station District Plan open house (Photo via from www.phillydistrict30.com)

As we reported earlier this year, the stakeholders behind the 30th Street Station District Plan are seeking feedback from the community and interested parties on the project through a series of public open houses and via the District Plan’s website.

The results of a project survey completed between January 28 and February 27 have just been announced. Some 339 people completed the survey distributed at the open house or online. Participants answered the questions about their experiences at the station and in the surrounding area, and their future expectations. Also, they submitted hundreds of ideas about improvements to the station, transportation network and the neighborhood, which the project team will analyse.

Here are some of the ideas that the project team will be considering.  Continue Reading