A four-story, 18-unit apartment building is being proposed for the empty lot at 4820 Chester Avenue and residents are invited to a community zoning meeting on Tuesday, May 7, to learn more about the proposal.  Continue Reading

UPDATE (6/16/2019): Don Barriga Mexican Grill’s grand opening is on Sunday, June 16, from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. You can try their dishes at 50% off today, according to co-owner “Guero” Barriga.

Just a few months after The Farmacy restaurant closing, a new eatery is coming to 45th and Spruce. A restaurant serving authentic Mexican dishes, Don Barriga Mexican Grill, is opening in the space soon, possibly even this month, according to the building owners.

Currently, the space is being remodeled/renovated.

Stay tuned for the opening date and more info.

The folks over at Cedar Park Neighbors are interested in how you get around. The neighborhood group’s transit committee is asking Cedar Park residents to fill out a survey (5 minutes for the short version, 10 minutes for more in-depth questions) so they can better understand transportation choices and help provide better “mobility options.”

The group defines Cedar Park as the neighborhood bounded by Larchwood Avenue on the north, 52nd Street on the west, Kingsessing Avenue and the SEPTA rail line on the south, and 46th Street on the east.

Beginning Sunday, May 5 through Saturday, July 20, SEPTA will conduct a major track replacement and switch improvement project in the area of Lancaster and Lansdowne Avenues. Shuttle buses will replace all Route 10 trolleys between 63rd Street and Malvern Avenue and 33rd and Market for the duration of the project.

For service towards 13th and Market Streets, passengers can transfer to any trolley at 33rd and Market.

Temporary detours are expected through the spring and into the summer in the area of 54th St. & Lansdowne Ave. and Girard & Lancaster Avenues die to construction. But here’s the good news: the new tracks will provide a smoother ride for passengers, and new concrete and asphalt paving will also be installed the area.

For more information or updates, visit Septa.org.

Jane’s Walk, a global movement of free, locally led walking tours inspired by the legacy of writer and urban activist Jane Jacobs, returns to Philadelphia May 3-5 with more than 30 walks planned! Five of those walks will be held in West and Southwest Philadelphia. Here are more details:

Friday, May 3:

2:30 p.m.: The Penn Campus and Its Perimeter: Old and New Architecture
Meet walk leader David Hollenberg (UPenn/architect) at 40th and Locust streets  Continue Reading

Squirrel Hill Park, the controversial gated pocket “park” at 48th and Chester, is still open after being “liberated” earlier this month and renamed “People’s Park.”

Residents have been asking for years what it would take to open the park to the public. A group started a few years back to work through the legal entanglements. They event sent out a survey. But members of the Black and Brown Workers Cooperative showed what it took: vision, temerity and a pair of bolt cutters.

The Cooperative posted a video (see below) of the opening of the park a couple of weeks ago. The video now has nearly 20,000 views and the park is still open.  Continue Reading