Mark Wagenveld photographed in Clark Park in 2011 (Photo from Spruce Hill Community Association Facebook page).

UPDATE (2/1/2018): A memorial service for Mark Wagenveld will be held on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church at 412 Pine St. Visitation will be from 9:45-10:45 a.m., with a service to follow at 11 a.m.

Longtime Spruce Hill community leader and retired Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mark Wagenveld passed away on Saturday at the age of 73.

We got to know Mark in his role as president of the Spruce Hill Community Association and a mentor of sorts who took an interest in West Philly Local soon after we began publishing in 2010. He always had solid news tips and words of encouragement for us.

We also know him as the driving force behind the May Fair in Clark Park and the Halloween Parade. Mark became active in community work soon after his retirement from the Inquirer in 2005, according to Barry Grossbach, his friend and colleague in the Spruce Hill Community Association.

“Sometimes we don’t fully appreciate a person’s contribution or importance while they are around,” Grossbach wrote. “Not so with Mark. Everyone knew what he did and what he meant to our community. And everyone will be the poorer for his absence.”  Continue Reading

4508-10 Walnut Street (Google Street View image).

Residents are invited to get more information about development projects in Spruce Hill at a Spruce Hill Zoning Committee meeting, which will take place at the Spruce Hill Center (257 S. 45th St.) on Monday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m.. The committee will inform neighborhood residents about two proposals: Conversion of the three-unit building at 424 S. 45th St. to five units and an application to divide the current nine apartments at 4508-10 Walnut St. into smaller units (for a total of 18 units).

The 9,251 square feet building at 4508-10 Walnut St. is owned by Safdan Partners LLC. Eighteen units are proposed from partially on the first floor to the fourth floor of the building, which also houses two storefronts currently occupied by LULU Cafe and Hunter Gatherer Tattoo.

The meeting has been rescheduled from January 8.

UPDATE (1:40 p.m.): Both meetings have been canceled due to freezing rain in the forecast for late Monday afternoon/evening. The Spruce Hill Zoning Committee meeting will be rescheduled at the earliest possible date, according to Zoning Committee chair Garry Grossbach. The Fair Districts PA meeting will be rescheduled for February. Stay tuned for more updates.

Residents are invited to get more information about development projects in Spruce Hill and how to get involved with nonpartisan group Fair Districts PA at two community meetings on Monday, Jan. 8.

4508-10 Walnut Street (Google Street View image).

A Spruce Hill Zoning Committee meeting will take place at the Spruce Hill Center (257 S. 45th St) and will inform neighborhood residents about two proposals: Conversion of three-unit building to five units at 424 S. 45th St. and conversion of nine existing apartments into 18 at 4508-10 Walnut St.

The 9,251 square feet building at 4508-10 Walnut Street is owned by Safdan Partners LLC. Eighteen units are proposed from partially on the first floor to the fourth floor of the building, which also houses two storefronts currently occupied by LULU Cafe and Hunter Gatherer Tattoo.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.  Continue Reading

Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney will be a featured speaker at an upcoming Spruce Hill Community Association’s annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Penn Alexander School Cafeteria (43rd and Locust). The mayor will address the future of the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building at 4601 Market (pictured).

The site was chosen by former mayor Michael Nutter administration for the new police headquarters and has been undergoing renovations since 2014. But, the Kenney administration canceled the plans to relocate the Police Headquarters to the site in the spring of 2017. In August, the city began seeking a new developer for the site.  Continue Reading

Here’s a reminder that the annual Halloween Tot Parade will be held in Spruce Hill on Tuesday, Oct. 31. As always, the parade will begin at 45th and Baltimore and end on the 4200 block of Osage Avenue (“Little Osage”). The parade is a great opportunity for families with young children to showcase their Halloween costumes (many parents are into it just as much as kids and some folks get really creative – check out photos from previous parades).

Gathering will begin at 4 p.m. outside of Milk and Honey on 45th Street and the parade will kick off at 4:30 sharp.

After the parade, Little Osage (4200 block) residents and local businesses will throw a Halloween block party with cider and baked goods.

For more Halloween events, check out our Events page. If you’re hosting an event, feel free to submit it here.

Rendering of new apartment building coming to 46th and Spruce via www.mscretail.com.

It looks like a doctors’ office will occupy the ground floor of the apartment building coming to the southeast corner of 46th and Spruce, dashing the hopes of some neighbors that a restaurant or other high foot traffic businesses would move into the space.

The good news is that there is unlikely to be an uptick in vehicle traffic related to the new tenant as the proposed doctors’ office, Penn Family Medicine University City, is presently located just a few doors down at 4623 Spruce. It would move in following construction of the four-story, 21-unit apartment complex that, much to the dismay of nearby residents, will feature a roof deck and no off-street parking. That project was held up in court for a year or so, but now has the green light.  Continue Reading