Here’s a quick update on our last month’s post regarding the development of a 132-unit residential complex at 43rd and Baltimore (4224 Baltimore Ave) across from Clark Park.

Developers announced in June that they were finally moving forward with the construction. The work began promptly after the announcement. Street parking around the construction area was closed and trees were removed, which made the site much more open and unrecognizable. Some excavation work has also begun.

Zoning approval for the project was granted in June 2015 and building permit was issued in May 2019. Continue Reading

Weekly transpasses are being replaced by fare cards for Philadelphia public school students, the School District of Philadelphia and SEPTA have announced. About 65,000 eligible students in Philadelphia will receive a SEPTA Student Fare Card – a contact-free, reusable chip card that students can use to get to and from school during the 2021-2022 school year.

Here’s how the card will work for students:

Students can use the fare card up to eight times per day between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. on any bus, trolley or subway on school days. If a student needs to use regional rail, they can upgrade their student fare card at designated SEPTA stations for about $10 per 5-day school week. Continue Reading

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), State Representative Joanna McClinton, State Senator Anthony H. Williams and City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District) will host a community event tonight in response to the tragic shootings in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood during a July 4th cookout. Two men in their 20s were killed and a 16-year-old girl was injured.

The event, titled “Hope and Healing” is in support of Cobbs Creek residents in the aftermatch of the shootings.

“This event, along with other recent shootings in the area, have left community members feeling afraid for their safety and the wellbeing of their loved ones and neighbors,” reads an official announcement. Continue Reading

The SEPTA Trolley Tunnel that connects West Philadelphia with Center City will close for more than two weeks beginning Friday, July 9, which means that trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36 will temporarily divert to 40th and Market. The annual trolley tunnel maintenance/construction project, “Trolley Tunnel Blitz”, will begin at 10 p.m. on Friday and continue until Monday, July 26, at 5:00 a.m.

During the “Blitz”, trolleys will continue operating in West Philadelphia. SEPTA customers may transfer to the Market Frankford Line at the 40th Street station (40th and Market) at no additional charge. Continue Reading

After a two-year break, Philadelphians are again invited to celebrate July 4th at the “Wawa Welcome America” festival, which includes a concert at the Mann Center for Performing Arts (5201 Parkside Ave) and fireworks on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The concert will be held at TD Pavilion at the Mann Center, beginning at 7 p.m., and will feature Bebe Rexha, Flo Rida, and a special performance by the Philly POPS. Gates open at 4 p.m. The concert is free, but tickets are required (click here). Those who can’t make it to the concert or are not ready to mingle with crowds yet can watch it live on NBC10 and TeleXitos. Continue Reading

The Barnes Foundation and the People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC) are continuing their collaboration with a new project – Everyday Places Artist Partnerships. The project, which began rolling out last month through the Barnes and PECCDC’s collaborative initiative Barnes West, will provide West Philly residents with spaces to engage with multidisciplinary artistic projects that “offer inspiration and promote ​hope and healing.”

This week, the partners have announced five West Philadelphia-based social-impact artists who have been selected to participate in Everyday Places: Keyonna Butler, Marshall James Kavanaugh, Jahwula Seapoe, Karen Smith, and Andrea Walls. The selected artists will partner with neighborhood businesses and sites – including grocery stores, restaurants, laundromats, public parks, and community organizations – to build interactive, participatory projects. Continue Reading