Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell has scheduled another community meeting about the future of the former Provident Insurance Co. building at 46th and Market. The previous meeting discussing the proposed sale of the property to local developer Iron Stone Real Estate Partners took place last month, after which Blackwell halted a vote on the sale in City Council. The previous community meeting called for more transparency in the sale process.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 6 – 8 p.m. at West Philadelphia High School (49th and Chestnut).

The Walnut Hill Community Association also held a community meeting about the proposed development of the property earlier this month. Read more about it here.

Walnut Hill residents got a chance on Thursday to ask the proposed developers of the Provident Insurance Co. building at 4601 Market Street what benefits the neighborhood would get from the healthcare campus planned for the site.

Iron Stone Real Estate Partners execs presented their plans for the building at a Walnut Hill Community Association meeting aimed at finalizing a “community benefits agreement,” a contract that would reflect community requests on everything from hiring practices to parking to the use of green space in development projects that get public subsidies.  Continue Reading

The proposal to convert the Provident Mutual Insurance Co. site at 46^th and Market into a healthcare campus hit a major roadblock on Thursday when Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell halted a vote on legislation that would have allowed the city to sell the property.

The move followed a contentious public meeting in West Philly on Tuesday where several community members spoke against the proposal, which the city selected this summer after a bidding process. Criticisms included the low sale price of $10 million and a lack of transparency in the bid selection process.  Continue Reading

The developers of the sprawling former Provident Mutual Life Insurance property at 46th and Market Streets began a series of stops at neighborhood groups last night at the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) monthly board meeting to garner support and input for its proposed health campus.

A partnership between Philadelphia-based commercial developers Iron Stone and the Public Health Management Corp. (PHMC) will develop the 13-acre site, once slated to be the new home of the Philadelphia Police Department.

PHMC will run three programs at the site, including a federally funded health center that will provide primary care and dental services, a public health office and a 20- to 30-bed overnight site. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) plans to operate a children’s mental health services center from the site and several day care providers, including the YMCA, are interested in opening a large (some 120 children) facility, Andrew Eisenstein of Iron Stone Real Estate Partners told the SHCA board.  Continue Reading

Mayor Jim Kenney told the audience gathered for the Spruce Hill Community Association annual meeting last night that the city would likely to have a handful of serious proposals for the old Provident Mutual Insurance building at 4601 Market St. by early January.

His administration cancelled plans in May to move the police headquarters to the building, opting instead for the old Philadelphia Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad St. Those plans were devised during the administration of Michael Nutter.

The city has received several requests for quotation (RFQ) on the property. These are narrative proposals of what would be done with the property. Those proposals range from commercial and retail to medical and educational. All propose a mix of uses for the property. Kenney said the RFQs are private and he could not provide specific details on any of them.  Continue Reading

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) Board of Directors invites the community to our Annual Meeting.

This year we will have two keynote speakers!!!

First, Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney will address the future of the Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building at 4601 Market (the former Police Department redevelopment site).

And second, Drexel University’s Sr. Vice Provost for University Community Partnerships, Lucy Kerman, will discuss and answer questions about Drexel’s education initiatives in West Philadelphia, including Drexel’s plans for a new public school in University City and the Promised Neighborhood Grant, through which Drexel is working with 7 local schools, including West Philly High.

There will also be updates on SHCA’s activities over the last year, and election of officers and board members. All five officers and 10 board members will be chosen, with bios of all the candidates available at the meeting.

The meeting will take place at the Penn Alexander School Cafeteria (43rd St, between Locust & Spruce).

All are welcome!