UPDATE (4/13/2023): Here’s a short update on the new Apple TV show, Catamount, filming in Philadelphia, including some West Philly neighborhoods. The show was filmed in Clark Park this past Tuesday, according to Amy Johnson, the unit publicist for the show. The next episode starts filming on Monday, April 17, and filming is not expected to take place in West Philly at this time. Overall, filming of Catamount is expected to continue through May 4, 2023.

(4/3/2023): Filming of a new Apple TV show, Catamount, continues in West Philly, and has expanded to new locations. This Tuesday, the filming crew will be working on Pine Street, from 48th to 51st. “No Parking” signs were posted over the weekend along the street, and cars were being towed today from these blocks in preparation for filming, which is expected to take place up until 11 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4.

Filming predominantly took place in the area of 44th/45th and Spruce since February, but is expected to expand as far west as 57th and Market. We’ll post more details when they are available.

The two plans under consideration for Woodland Avenue near the intersection with Chester Avenue and down to 42nd Street.

Traffic lights and crosswalks are coming to the section of Woodland Avenue near The Woodlands cemetery and the intersection with Chester Avenue.

Visitors to The Woodlands know that crossing Woodland Avenue at the awkward intersection at Chester or the trolley portal can get a little dicey. But a new plan unveiled last night at a Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) meeting will slow traffic along Woodland and close down the little section of 41st Street that often baffles drivers and pedestrians alike.

“The whole project is about user safety, whether you’re a pedestrian, a cyclist or a driver,” Julie Bush of the landscape architecture firm Ground Reconsidered told the SHCA board. Continue Reading

HopePHL’s first community Program Fair, held on March 29, was a “resounding success,” according to the organizers, and connected Philadelphia youth, families and community members with vital programs and services. The fair showcased all the programs and teams from People’s Emergency Center and Youth Service, Inc. now available from one organization. People of all ages and backgrounds learned about the different programs available, asked questions, and enrolled in programs on the spot.

More than 100 guests attended the event. The fair featured 17 programs for different needs, like computer classes, family reunification, youth emergency shelter, and supports for families experiencing homelessness. Attendees had the chance to meet the teams behind the programs, win special prizes, and enjoy snacks and fun – including an ice sculpting demonstration from West Philly’s own Ice Sculpture Philadelphia. Continue Reading

Street sweepers will be back in West and Southwest Philly, cleaning from Monday through Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with no service performed on City-observed holidays.

Here are the areas where the Mechanical Street Cleaning will be performed:

• Parkside Ave. to Spring Garden St. from 52nd to 40th (map)
• Woodland Ave. to Kingsessing Ave. from 49th to Cemetery (map) Continue Reading

Grant Blvd founder and CEO, Kimberly McGlonn, outside the new store.

Grant Blvd, the West Philly based Black-owned business centered on sustainability and ethical clothing production, is set to open its new flagship store this spring at 140 S. 34th St., according to a recent announcement by Penn’s Division of Facilities & Real Estate Services.

Kimberly McGlonn, Ph.D., the founder and CEO of Grant Blvd, plans to expand upon her current success by taking designs in a new direction, and elevating the shopping experience for consumers with the opening of the new flagship store in University City.

Grant Blvd is the first Black-owned B Corp in the fashion space in North America, and a manufacturing start-up. In addition to reducing waste before and after production through sustainably focused design, the company works to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of those currently and formerly impacted by the criminal system by partnering with local non-profit and government agencies to create living wage employment opportunities. Continue Reading

An artist’s rendering of the apartment complex proposed for 4601 Market St.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier is once again calling on residents to push developers of a 1,240-unit apartment complex at 46th and Market Streets to include affordable housing during a meeting scheduled for March 27.

The meeting is part of the Civic Design Review process for “Mill Creek Station,” an upscale cluster of five seven-story buildings, one 19-story building and courtyards that will have “outdoor kitchens, lounge spaces and a pool for the residents,” according to the plan. The apartment complex would be adjacent to the city’s juvenile detention center at 48th and Haverford.

You can review the recent history of 4601 Market Street across a couple municipal administrations – from its designation as the new police headquarters and morgue to the current proposal – here. Continue Reading