Callahan Ward, the developer behind the controversial luxury apartment building project planned in a back alley at 303 S. 51st Street, have agreed to meet online with community members more than a year after the project was first proposed. The firm’s decision comes after several public meetings and protests and the denial by the city of required permits.

The meeting will be on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. on Zoom. Project architects at Interface Studio Architects will also participate in the meeting.

The project would include 33 market-rate apartments and ground floor commercial space and can be built “by-right.” The building would be surrounded by the backyards of several adjacent properties, and the only access to the building would be through a narrow alley off 51st Street.  Continue Reading

If you live in Garden Court, Cobbs Creek or Cedar Park and need a pizza fix, check out Park Pizza, a new restaurant and pizzeria at 434 S. 52nd Street across from Malcolm X. Park. Park Pizza’s co-owners are experienced restaurateur Joe Scarpa, the former owner of Allegro Pizza at 40th and Spruce, and his son Sean Dundon who worked as a restaurant manager.

They both were approached by the Spak Group, a local real estate company which has been renovating buildings on 52nd Street, to open a neighborhood pizzeria. But, it took a few years for Park Pizza to get going, according to Dundon.  Continue Reading

Rendering of the proposed 6-story addition with 220 apartments over Garden Court Plaza’s parking garage at 4701 Pine Street (Image by BLT Architects).

The owners of Garden Court Plaza, the 14-story apartment building located at 4701 Pine Street, are porposing a 220-unit addition above the complex’s ground floor parking garage.

The project is “by right,” meaning it complies with the zoning code (CMX-3) and variances are not required. However, due to its scale, the project has to be approved by the City Planning Commission’s Civic Design Review Committee.  Continue Reading

Gun violence in the city has claimed another victim. A 27-year-old man was shot multiple times and killed on the 600 block of S. 52nd Street on Monday night. The shooting took place at around 8:45 p.m., according to police. The victim was transported to Penn Presbyterian Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:12 p.m.

No arrests have been made and no weapon was recovered.

Numerous people were outside when the shooting happened, according to Captain Matthew Gillespie, the commanding officer of the 18th Police District:  Continue Reading

Police are investigating a shooting at 43rd and Chestnut Streets that left a young man in critical condition. The shooting took place on Sunday night shortly before 8 p.m. The victim, a man in his mid-20s, was shot twice, in his neck and shoulder. He was transported by police to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and was listed in critical condition.

No arrests have been made and no weapon was recovered.

Haven Philly co-owners Marcus Hall (left) and Chris Scott.

This is a precarious time to open a business, but Marcus Hall believes he may have hit on a remedy for those stay-at-home blues.

Hall and partner Chris Scott launched likely the city’s first board game rental service on Saturday in West Philly (and eventually a full blown board game café near 51st and Baltimore). Haven Philly offers contactless drop off and pick up of board games in the West Philly zip codes of 19143, 19139 and 19104.

We’re talking everything from classics like checkers, Scrabble and Sorry to newer games like Catan and Ticket to Ride and, yes, even Pandemic. They have some 200 games available. Rental costs will be based on the game’s purchase price. Games that cost under $20, for example, will be available for $2.50 per day with a slight discount for multiple days (up to five days total).  Continue Reading