All that’s left of the strip mall on the north side of the 4300 block of Chestnut Street.

A seven-story 275-unit apartment complex is coming to the 4300 block of Chestnut Street – the site of the former strip mall and parking lot. Construction has already begun – the strip mall buildings have been recently demolished to make room for the complex.

The complex will include retail space on the ground floor and an underground garage with 75 parking spaces. The plans for this development were announced last summer and renderings were revealed last fall. Continue Reading

The development boom along the 4200 block of Chestnut Street will continue with a seven-story, 102-unit building that will likely begin construction early next year.

Developers presented the plan to the Spruce Hill zoning committee last night as part of the city’s Civic Design Review process required for buildings of a certain size and use. But neither the SHCA nor the city itself has much oversight over the “by right” project, the second major “by right” project on that block this year. A 278-unit building is underway nearby at the former site of the Christ Memorial Church at 43rd and Chestnut.  Continue Reading

A monthly Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) Zoning Committee meeting will take place tonight (Monday, Oct. 21) at the Spruce Hill Center (257 S. 45th St).

One of the items on the agenda of the meeting is a “by right” development for construction of a new 7-story mixed use building at 4240 Chestnut Street. The building will include 102 residential units on floors 3-7 with a garage for 40 underground parking slots, 34 bicycle spaces and trash rooms. The first two floors will house new space for Intercultural Family Services, currently located at 4225 Chestnut St., with a separate entrance, elevators and services.

A “by right” development means that the developer doesn’t need to apply for a zoning permit to proceed with construction. However, some developers still want to present their projects to the community for informational purposes. A community RCO (Recognized Community Organization), such as SHCA, has no legal sway over a “by right” project, but it can make suggestions and recommendations that a project’s development team can consider and potentially implement.  Continue Reading

A couple dozen people – neighbors and members from groups “N.O.” (Neighbors Organized to Protect Our Communities) and West Philadelphians for Progressive Planning & Preservation – gathered on Sunday afternoon to protest the new residential developments at and around 43rd and Chestnut – the former site of the Christ Memorial Church demolished earlier this year, and at 12 S. 43rd Street.

The protesters held anti-gentrification signs and chanted “Say No to Gentrification! Say No! Say No! Say No! Philly Needs to Say No!” and marched along Chestnut Street between the two developments sites.  Continue Reading

Plans for the 7-story apartment building coming to the former site of the Christ Memorial Church at 43rd and Chestnut came before the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee on Monday as part of the civic design review process, the final community-focused step before building begins.

Residents could suggest things like facade materials and types of street trees, but it’s unlikely the plans will change much.  Continue Reading

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) zoning committee will have its monthly meeting on Monday, May 20, where more details will be revealed about the mixed-use complex proposed on the site of the demolished Memorial Christ Church at 43rd and Chestnut. The property was sold to Alterra Property Group for $17 million earlier this year.

The proposed complex will reportedly include 278 residential units, ground-floor retail, below-grade accessory parking for 54 vehicles, and 109 bicycle spots. The property is in a CMX-4 Commercial Mixed-Use Zoning District, so this proposal complies with the existing zoning code and already has conditional approval. However, due to the size of the project, it must go before the City Planning Commission’s “civic design review” process. An early step in that process is a presentation to the appropriate coordinating RCO (Registered Community Organization), which is the SHCA Zoning Committee.  Continue Reading