Due to the holidays, SEPTA buses, trains and trolleys will have some service changes or special schedules beginning Tuesday, Dec. 24 on the following days:

Tuesday, Dec. 24: City transit routes will operate on a Modified Weekday schedule.

Wednesday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day): Buses, trains, and trolleys will operate on a Sunday schedule due to the holiday.

Thursday – Friday, Dec. 26 – 27: Buses, trains, and trolleys will operate on a Modified Weekday schedule.  Continue Reading

Cedar Park based gift shop, VIX Emporium, has recently gotten its own product line, just in time for holiday gift shopping! Made by a local black-owned business, Urban Essence, exclusively for VIX the Cedar Park Soap line features vegan, all-natural body products. The collection includes three scents of handmade lotion and detergent-free liquid soap, and 10 types of bar soap. The products are unisex and make a great gift for just about anyone.

If you want to check it out, stop by the store located at 5009 Baltimore Ave. For information on their holiday hours, go to: www.vixemporium.com.

A rendering of Village Square at 36th and Haverford.

Redevelopment of a long-vacant site in the Mantua neighborhood, near 36th and Haverford, has received a green light from the city.

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m., community members are invited to a celebration kicking off the redevelopment of the site. Mayor Jim Kenney, along with representatives from Lomax Real Estate, Mantua Civic Association, and Mt. Vernon Manor CDC, are also expected to recognize Councilwoman Blackwell’s service at the event, which will take place at West Philadelphia Community Center, 3535 Haverford Ave.

City Council passed legislation at its year-end meeting last week clearing the way for the project that put the finishing touches on the sale of the city land for a reported $1 million to a consortium of developers headed by Philadelphian Charles Lomax. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2020. Continue Reading

City Council voted this week to change the 10-year tax abatement that has helped spur development in West Philly and elsewhere.

The abatement, which has been in place since 2000, exempted property improvements from taxes for 10 years, making property value increases on big improvements, like ground-up rehab or construction, virtually tax free.

Under the bill passed on Thursday, the tax abatement on residential properties would start at 100 percent and decrease 10 percent per year. The modified abatement will go into effect on Dec. 31, 2020.  Continue Reading

City Council passed legislation on Thursday changing the zoning on West Catholic High School’s parking lot at 46th and Chestnut, clearing the way for a seven-story apartment building.

Proposed by outgoing Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, the bill passed after extensive negotiations between a group of West Catholic alumni and supporters of the school and the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA). West Catholic wants to lease the land to a property developer to help fund renovations and provide scholarships for students. To make the deal financially attractive, the zoning had to be changed from CMX-2 to CMX-3 so that a developer can build a much bigger structure than is currently allowed.  Continue Reading

The City Council on Thursday passed a bill banning “single-use” plastic bags in the city.

The ban means that places like supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations, take-out restaurants, farmer’s markets and even food trucks will have to either switch to paper bags or offer their customers an option to buy a reusable bag. A similar ban already exists in other cities, like New York.

If signed into law by Mayor Jim Kenney, the ban would go into effect on July 2, 2020.  Continue Reading