Last month, a group of concerned residents held a community action meeting to draw attention to a proposed development at 303 S. 51st Street. Developer Callahan Ward is planning to build three luxury apartment buildings with 33 units and three ground-floor commercial spaces on the site of a former mechanic’s shop, located in the backyard of many homes and only accessible by a narrow alley. The lot is zoned CMX2, which allows 33 units by right, but the neighbors are opposing the development due to many concerns, including environmental contamination, overcrowding, fire hazards, and more.  Continue Reading

Brandywine Realty Trust has unveiled the architectural designs of the first two high rises in Schuylkill Yards, the $3.5 billion 14-acre development project near 30th Street Station.

The two towers will be located at 3001 (East Tower) and 3025 (West Tower) John F. Kennedy Blvd. The 512 feet tall East Tower features a unique stacking design, 34 floors of office space, 7,000 square feet of retail, and a dedicated amenity level on the 14th floor.

The mixed-use West Tower will offer 9,000 square feet of retail, 219,000 square feet of residential, 200,000 square feet of office space and covered parking. Both towers will be sitting atop a foundation of fluted pedestals, forming a series of archways (see rendering below). Continue Reading

It has been almost three years since the Parklet at The Bank building asked community members to reimagine the use of a parking lot and take advantage of additional outdoor space in their neighborhood.

This Fall, the People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC) is seeking six professional West Philly-based artists to help them continue to beautify the Parklet. In collaboration with community members, artists will create one in a series of permanent murals on the half-walls surrounding The Bank, the repurposed United Bank building, on Lancaster and Powelton Avenues.

Go here for more information and to register. Registration deadline has been extended until Sunday, Sept. 9, 2019 11:59 p.m. The Artist Pitch – Open Mic Presentation – will take place on Friday, Sept. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Neighborhood Time Exchange (4017 Lancaster Ave.).

The inside of an Ilera Healthcare dispensary, which company officials told the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee will be very similar to one proposed for 4237 Walnut Street (from Ilera’s website).

The Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee encouraged officials from a medical marijuana dispensary to formally apply for zoning for a location near 43rd and Walnut after an informational meeting this week.

Ilera Healthcare wants to open the dispensary at 4237 Walnut St., a property that has housed health-related businesses for several years. It would be the first medical marijuana dispensary in West Philly and the company’s second in the region.  Continue Reading

Artist’s rendering of the proposed seven-story apartment building at 40th and Market Streets.

The Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee got a first look at a project that will likely reshape the bustling 4000 block of Market Street.

A seven-story, 42-unit apartment building with ground floor commercial space is proposed for the southwest corner of 40th and Market, right on top of one of the busiest Market-Frankford El stops in West Philly. The project would require the demolition of two properties, currently occupied by a Crown Chicken and Royal Donuts.  Continue Reading

The School District’s 11th annual back-to-school event will be held on Thursday, August 22, at the High School of the Future (4021 Parkside Ave.) from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The first 8,000 students attending this event will receive free book bags filled with school supplies.

Over 100 vendors will be on-site providing information, student enrollment services and social service resources. The event will also offer free haircuts, children’s eye glass testing, and dental services. There will also be free educational workshops, and a fun Kids Zone.