Real estate developer Post Brothers announced recently that it bought the Garden Court Plaza (4701 Pine St.) and is planning upgrades and renovations that has current residents wondering if they will be priced out of their apartments.

Built in the 1920s, the 13-story apartment building, which includes 146 units, was purchased for an undisclosed price as part of Post Brothers $250 million University City acquisition strategy, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal and other news outlets.

A founder of Post Brothers told the Philadelphia Business Journal that there is a shortage of housing geared toward “young professionals” in the area, which he compared to Cambridge, Mass., and that the firm’s strategy is to “upgrade and reposition” properties.

Post Brothers will do substantial renovations to Garden Court Plaza’s interior and exterior and add upscale amenities, according to a press release.

Some current residents who have contacted West Philly Local and asked not be named say they are bracing for big changes, including a substantial rent increase. They said that the new management company has begun asking for tax and pet vaccination information from residents.

As winter approaches, Best Friends Animal Society and Project MEOW invite everyone to their Cat Shelter Building Workshop, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7. At the workshop, you can learn how to construct simple, warm shelters for community cats. The workshop is free, and all materials will be provided. If you want to take home the shelter you build, there is a $10 materials fee. Scholarships are available.

The workshop will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at Beaumont Warehouse (5027 Beaumont Avenue). Please RSVP and contact Best Friends with any questions at: philadelphiacats@bestfriends.org or 215-913-6013.

By the way, the cat on the picture, Mr. Biscuits, was rescued last year from a car engine where he was trying to stay warm on a cold day. Mr. Biscuits was badly burned when the driver unknowingly started the car with him inside. He was rescued by Animal Care & Control Team of Philadelphia and The Grannie Project. Next Saturday, Best Friends and Project MEOW will also educate folks on tapping their car hood before driving in winter.

Here are some photos from Saturday’s 16th Annual Peoplehood Parade. The parade is led by the Spiral Q Puppet Theater and this year included help from the Paul Robeson House, Friends of Clark Park, Neighborhood Bike Works, the Caucus of Working Educators, the Philadelphia Coalition for REAL Justice, the West Powelton Steppers and artist Vitus Shell.

“Peoplehood is a celebration of our communities’ creativity, joy, can-do attitudes, and courage to act on their convictions,” according to Spiral Q.  Continue Reading

Spiral Q’s Peoplehood Parade is this Saturday.

Here’s an assortment of events happening this weekend in West Philly and vicinity. For more events, check out our Events page. Also, it’s time to carve your pumpkin and enter it in our Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest!

Saturday, Oct. 24

• Give Kids Sight Day – Free eye care and eyeglasses at Give Kids Sight Day from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Medical College Alumni Hall, 1020 Locust St. No appointments or insurance is necessary.

• A free document-shredding event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at State Rep. James Roebuck’s district office, 4712 Baltimore Ave.

• Spruce Hill Community Association is hosting a Fall Book Sale and Open House from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at their office (257 S 45th St.).

• From The Robeson House to Clark Park: the 16th annual Peoplehood Parade will kick off at 1 p.m.

• Catch Curio Theatre’s new show “The Handmaid’s Tale” on the main stage (48th and Baltimore), 8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 25

• Join your neighbors for Halloween Family Fun Day at The Woodlands (40th and Woodland), 12 – 4 p.m.

• Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra presents music from 5,000 years of civilization at Kimmel Center (300 S Broad St.), 2 p.m.

• A Classical Arab Music and Poetry concert by Al-Bustan Takht Ensemble, with poetry reading by Ahmad Almallah, Trinity Center for Urban Life (22nd and Spruce), 4 p.m.

CityLife Neighborhood Clinics, which focuses on providing comprehensive care to seniors, opened the doors of its University City clinic (37 S. 40th St., 2nd Fl) last week, the third CityLife clinic in the city to begin welcoming members in recent weeks. Another West Philly-based CityLife clinic recently opened in the Spruce Hill neighborhood – at 4237 Walnut Street. The timing of the clinic openings coincided with Open Enrollment for Medicare Advantage, which kicked off on October 15.

CityLife recently announced the addition of Philadelphia native Dr. Marisa Gefen, a primary care physician, as its Practice Team Leader. In addition to seeing patients and leading an integrated primary care team at CityLife’s University City location, in her new role, Dr. Gefen is responsible for setting clinical standards and protocols for CityLife’s three Philadelphia clinics in University City, Spruce Hill, and The Avenue in North Philadelphia.

“CityLife’s model represents a new type of care – one that is designed for the member and built on teamwork, relationships, and service,” Dr. Gefen said in a statement.

CityLife’s three Philadelphia clinics care for members through a holistic model of team-based primary care. Primary care teams are comprised of CityLife members, their families, a doctor or nurse practitioner, nurse, clinical and administrative assistants, and medication and health guides. Clinics offer convenient hours, access to staff 24/7, walk-in and same-day care, and transportation.  Continue Reading

Chili Szechuan closed its Baltimore Avenue location after a little more than 2.5 years of operation. (Archived photo/West Philly Local)

We received some requests from readers asking what’s happening with Chili Szechuan’s Baltimore Avenue location as it seems to have closed. As you may know, the popular Chinese eatery opened a new location on the 4200 block of Chestnut Street in the summer, and the owner, Kangzhi Ma, said she might close the Baltimore Ave. location, which opened in early 2013, at the end of the year. So we can confirm that Chili Szechuan at 4626 Baltimore Avenue has already closed, so that the owners can focus solely on the Chestnut Street location. As as one of Chili Szechuan workers we spoke to back in May said, “it is a bigger place and close to campuses.”

So it will be interesting to see what business will occupy the now empty storefront at 4626 Baltimore Avenue, a very lucrative piece of commercial property.