Community members are invited to the monthly meeting of the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) on Tuesday, Feb. 10 to meet Henry C. Lea Principal Jennifer Duffy, who will talk about the happenings at Lea.

Duffy is in her first year as principal of Lea and one of about 50 first-time principals hired across the School District of Philadelphia this year. Duffy has placed a priority on raising academic standards and strengthen the school’s relationship with the University of Pennsylvania, where she is a doctoral student in Educational Leadership.

The SHCA meeting gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at the association’s headquarters (257 S. 45th St.)

In other Spruce Hill news, the zoning committee meeting to consider the well-publicized plans to build a residential/retail complex at 43rd and Baltimore (across the street from Clark Park) will be held Feb. 19 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at The University of the Science’s Rosenberger Hall (the small building on the west side of 43rd Street, just north of Woodland Avenue). This is the meeting originally scheduled for Jan. 26 that was cancelled due to weather.

The meeting actually begins at 6:30 p.m. when committee will consider a liquor license request from Fresh Grocer at 40th and Market and a residential project at 4100-02 Ludlow St. This is also open to the public. The 4224 Baltimore Ave. project discussion will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. The development team for the site is preparing materials for presentation to the City Planning Commission’s Design Review Committee and will share those plans to date.

UPDATE (12/16/2014): Here’s the agenda for tonight’s meeting:

• Enrollment
• Support of K-12 education
• Ongoing Engagement activities
• Campus Master Planning
• Call for university – community collaboration ideas

(12/15/2014): University of the Sciences (USciences) is reaching out to the local community by hosting a regular public meeting every three months. In a message circulated via email, USciences president Dr. Helen Giles-Gee writes that “as a member of our community, University of the Sciences recognizes that it’s important that we communicate with each other and share information.”

At the quarterly meetings, university leadership will provide updates on new and ongoing projects and “will seek your feedback on ways in which we may work together for the betterment of our community.”

The first community meeting will take place this Tuesday (Dec. 16) at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the McNeil Science and Technology Center (43rd and Woodland, see map here). Light refreshments will also be served.

It’s not clear whether the meeting will include information and discussion of the university’s recent purchase of the former Wilson Elementary School building at 46th and Woodland, which it plans to convert into student housing (read more here).

Lea School’s new playground. (Photo courtesy of West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools)

A couple of exciting public events are planned this month at the Henry C. Lea School, including a meet and greet with the entire school community.

This Friday, Sept. 19, community members are invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new school playground at 47th and Spruce. A new play structure was transferred from another West Philly school, the shuttered Alexander Wilson School, and the playground area was resurfaced, thanks to donations from parents, neighbors, and Spruce Hill Community Association.

The new playground opened earlier this week and now local residents are invited to celebrate the opening together with Lea’s new principal, Ms. Jennifer Duffy, teachers, students, and members of the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools (WPCNS), whose ‘Greening Lea’ initiative was key to the success of this project. The new playground is an early Greening Lea project since a lot of work is still ahead. Full Phase 1 construction is expected to start in the summer of 2015 (click here to learn more about Greening Lea and to support the initiative).

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 8 a.m. before the start of school.

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. families and community members are invited to the Lea School Auditorium (47th and Locust) to a meeting with the principal, teachers, and WPCNS members to learn more about the school’s mission, vision and its redesign initiative. As part of this project, the school and WPCNS will submit next month an application to the School District of Philadelphia’s School Redesign Initiative program, which would provide a small planning grant and expert resources for the school’s developing model to be implemented in the 2015-2016 school year.

The school leadership team led by the Principal Duffy has created a mission and vision in an effort to serve all the students, families, staff, and community of Lea, according to their statement. It is stressed that the goal is “not to create Lea anew but rather strengthen and build upon the important work that has been done in recent years, with the continued input and investment from the broader Lea community.”

Two West Philly schools are holding community forums this week and your participation and input are important.

– Greening Lea, a project of West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools (WPCNS), is at the center of discussion on Wednesday, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at the Henry C. Lea School Auditorium (4700 Locust, enter through the small playground on Locust). Participants will be asked about their vision for Lea’s new playground being designed by SALT Design Studio. The studio seeks input from parents, students, teachers, and the community on the project.

Greening Lea began the process in early 2012 with a master plan and vision to revitalize the Lea schoolyards. Your help is needed as they are moving forward with the first stage of the project. Please answer the following questions and email your responses to: jscott1225@verizon.net or bring them to tonight’s meeting:

• What is ONE thing you love about your neighborhood?
• What is ONE thing you don’t like about your neighborhood?
• If you could make a change, what is the ONE thing you would change in your neighborhood?

More information on Greening Lea and tonight’s meeting can be found on the WPCNS website.

– On Thursday, April 3, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., the Paul Robeson High School for Human Services (4125 Ludlow St) will conduct its first Neighborhood Summit. The purpose of the summit is to determine the best way Paul Robeson High School can join with parents and community partners to improve the culture of the school and its community. All are invited! The format will be “chat and chew,” with informal discussions led by students and faculty.

The proposed building looking east near the corner of 43rd and Baltimore.

After a year of debate, planning, and collaboration, the zoning approval process will finally begin next month for the widely discussed and advertised development at 4224 Baltimore Avenue. The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) Zoning Committee has scheduled its first meeting in that process for Monday, March 3, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in room 101 of the University of the Sciences’ Rosenberger Hall on 43rd Street and Woodland Avenue.

During the meeting, U3 Ventures—the development team and liaison behind 4224 Baltimore Avenue—will review their progress and details of the project’s potential design, which they unveiled in late July at the last of three public meetings held throughout the 2013. The final development plan, established based on feedback from the community meetings, includes a proposed glossy 153,000 square foot mixed-use building with 108 residential units and retail on the first-floor—an alternative to the conditional zoning permit property owner Thylan Associates received in March 2013 for a four-story, 92-unit residential building with six parking spaces and no commercial space.

On March 3rd, the SHCA Zoning Committee will also consider zoning variances U3 Ventures is seeking in order to make this sizeable project a reality. According to the 4224 Baltimore Avenue website, there are two possible roads for U3 Ventures to take in obtaining permits for the alternative plan: either by receiving a zoning variance by the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) or adopting a land-use change ordinance issued by the City Council. The team hopes that, by having this meeting, they’re able to reach “a community consensus as to precise project scope and related project details” that will make choosing which approach to take a bit clearer.

Interested residents and stakeholders are invited to join the March 3rd meeting to both share their insights and ask questions about the plan, as well as offer comments regarding the variances sought by U3 Ventures.

–Annamarya Scaccia

UPDATED (2/11/2014): Due to heavy snowfall forecast, the meeting on the potential sale of the University City High School, Drew Elementary School and Walnut Center buildings has been postponed until Wednesday, Feb. 26.

The School District of Philadelphia has scheduled informational meetings where you can learn more about the potential sale of some West Philadelphia school buildings that have been vacant since their closure last summer. The meetings will provide updates on efforts to sell the buildings, communicate next steps in the sales process and share details about how the public can give feedback and comment.

The remaining meetings are:

• Tuesday, Feb. 11—Shaw Middle School building
  Meeting location: 5400 Warrington Ave.
  Registration: 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  Meeting: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 26—University City High School, Drew Elementary School and Walnut Center buildings
  Meeting location: West Philadelphia High School, 4901 Chestnut St.
  Registration: 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  Meeting: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.