Construction work on the Chestnut Street Bridge and Schuylkill Expressway/I-76 viaducts will resume on Monday, May 4, according to an announcement by PennDOT. Motorists should watch out for reduced lanes and closed shoulders and ramps in the work area. Expect significant backups and delays near the work area.

PennDOT is resuming the project in accordance with Governor Tom Wolf’s plan for a phased-in reopening of public and private construction. The project was paused on March 17 in response to mitigation efforts. Work on the project will be in compliance with Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific COVID-19 safety plan, which includes protocols for social distancing, use of face coverings, personal and job-site cleaning protocols, and other safety measures.  Continue Reading

Construction has begun on a new 8-story apartment building at the former parking lot on the southwest corner of 49th and Spruce. The building will include 150 residential units from the first through seventh floors and a roof deck on the eighth floor. The project also includes 41 parking spaces and 63 bicycle spaces on the ground floor.  Continue Reading

The “Baltimore Crossing” condo construction project is underway near 51st and Baltimore. This is a three-unit building north of Baltimore (Photo courtesy of Holly Mack Ward & Co).

Folks looking to buy a home in West Philly have usually had two options: a pricey Victorian or a more affordable (but still pricey) rowhome. Developers have mostly been reluctant to build condos – essentially apartments that are for sale rather than for rent. That might be starting to change with “Baltimore Crossing,” a new condo development project currently under construction near 51st and Baltimore.

The project includes three buildings – a three-unit building north of Baltimore (at 717 S. 51st St), a five-unit building south of Baltimore (at 732-734 S. 51st), and a townhouse at 5135 Webster St. The construction of the north building is in an advanced stage, and the foundation has been laid for the south building.  Continue Reading

Future 4224 Baltimore Avenue construction site now has a community garden (the gate has been removed by the gardeners).

We finally have an update on 4224 Baltimore Avenue, the site slated for construction of a 132-unit residential building with ground floor commercial space that has been in the works for four years.

Some work is finally scheduled to begin on the site, according to the Spruce Hill Community Association Zoning chair Barry Grossbach. Crews will be entering the property to remove overgrown vegetation and perform a general cleaning, and additional soil testing on the lot will take place in the near future.

“The community has been anxiously waiting for progress on the site and we are now at the point where activity will be more pronounced,” Grossbach recently wrote in an e-mail.  Continue Reading

The public is invited to attend tonight’s Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) Zoning Committee meeting to learn more about new development projects in the area. Some of the projects on the agenda (see below) were presented at earlier meetings, and this is an opportunity for community members to ask questions or provide comments. The meeting will take place at the SCHA office (257 S. 45th St), beginning at 7 p.m.

The meeting will discuss the following three projects:

• Apartment building at 4045 Baltimore (see rendering): Presentation and discussion of façade materials for use at this apartment complex under construction. This project was presented for the community last year and submitted for approval by the Zoning Board of Adjustment at the end of 2017.  Continue Reading

3.0 University Place rendering (via www.30universityplace.com)

It looks like the developers are finally ready to proceed with the construction of 3.0 University Place at 41st and Market, five years after the project was announced.

Construction site at 41st and Market (Photo West Philly Local). 

This environmentally-friendly office building is on the way from University Place Associates, the developers behind the 2.0 University Place building at 41st and Powelton. 3.0 University Place is being built where the old Pep Boys used to be at 41st and Market St. The developers tout the new building’s LEED v4 Platinum environmental certification, and claim that tenants can take advantage of energy- and water-efficient systems, as well as cleaned and filtered indoor air.

3.0 University Place is the latest in the trend towards upscale, tech-oriented buildings pushing ever westwards into West Philadelphia, following developments like Cira South, Schuylkill Yards, 3675 Market, the Pennovation Center, Campus Commerce Center, and Penn Medicine’s Center for Healthcare Technology.  Continue Reading