Residents rank priorities as part of drafting the Walnut Hill neighborhood plan last night at The Enterprise Center (Photo by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local).

A group of Walnut Hill residents met last night to put the finishing touches on a five-year plan that they hope will eliminate blight, improve local business and affordable housing opportunities and cut down on litter in the neighborhood.

The meeting was the final in a series of gatherings to create a plan that balances the demographic changes in the neighborhood in recent years with the needs and interests of long-time residents.

Walnut Hill’s borders are Market Street to the north, Spruce Street to the south, 52nd Street to the west and 45th Street to the east. The neighborhood’s population has changed a lot since the 2000 census. The number of white residents has risen from 12 to 23 percent and the number of African American residents has declined from 81 percent in 2000 to 67 percent in 2010, the year of the latest census. That number has probably dropped even further since then.  Continue Reading

• Police have released images and surveillance video of a man who they believe robbed two Rite Aid stores in West Philadelphia and are asking for the public’s assistance to identify and locate him. Police say that the man is involved in three robberies at Rite Aid stores located at 5214 Baltimore Ave. and 5699 Chestnut St. that took place between Aug. 20 and Aug. 24. Each robbery had a similar pattern – the man entered the store, picked up some items and brought them to the register. Then he announced a robbery while simulating a weapon in his sweatshirt pocket. The man has already stolen nearly $1,000 from the stores, according to police.  Continue Reading

The Department of Making + Doing (DM + D), a collaborative workspace among four Philadelphia organizations, The Hacktory, NextFab Studio, Public Workshop, and Science Center’s First Hand, will close in November, according to Technically Philly. The University City Science Center-based space has been hosting youth-oriented workshops and other programming in technology, design, fabrication, and art for more than two years. DM + D partners revealed that the reason for closing the workshop is sustainability issues at the current location at 3711 Market St.

The good news though is that the four organizations are planning to continue their work at other locations. The Hacktory, which joined the collaborative and moved to the Science Center last year, is currently looking for a new space in West Philly, according to Technically Philly. The tech group offers classes and afterschool programs for local youth. We’ll let you know when we have more information about their new location.

Unfortunately, Walnut Street West Library at 40th and Walnut is closed again due to an unexpected building emergency. The staff are cautiously optimistic that they will be able to reopen by Monday, Aug. 31. The library was closed for a few days earlier this month because of HVAC issues.

Please check the library’s Facebook page for updates.

UPDATE: The dog named Charlie, who was found near Clark Park last week, has been reunited with her owner thanks to our reader who spotted and tweeted us this flier:

Charlie was found running in the middle of Baltimore Ave near Clark Park on Monday, Aug. 17 and lived with a foster family until her owner was found.

Click to enlarge.

Here’s a short update on the widely discussed mixed-use residential and commercial project at 4224 Baltimore Avenue across from Clark Park. Construction of the 132-unit building, which will include upscale rental apartments aimed at young professionals and condo units for sale, is not expected to start until late summer 2016, according to a letter to the SHCA Zoning Committee and the Spruce Hill community sent by the land owner Clarkmore LP and project developer U3 Ventures. The project was approved by the Zoning Board of Adjustment in June after weeks of delays, clearing the last hurdle for the project to go ahead.

“We are now pursuing detailed design, construction cost estimation, [and] retail tenanting along with other detailed planning work,” reads the letter signed by Lenard Thylan, Omar Blaik, and Tom Lussenhop.

Although more details are not yet available, the 17,000 feet of commercial space may include a large fitness center and a full-service restaurant with outdoor seating, among other retail options. We’ll keep you posted when we have more information.