An “Available” sign now hangs on the Apple Storage building, again bringing into question the building’s future. (Photo by Mike Lyons)

Months of neighborhood drama accompanied the sale and re-zoning of the Apple Storage building to a developer who pledged to turn the hulking shell near 52nd and Baltimore into apartments. Now, six months after the plan won zoning approval, the building is back on the market.

Real estate developer Iron Stone proposed to convert the seven-story warehouse into 112 studio, one- and two bedroom apartments and retail space. The neighborhood group Cedar Park Neighbors, many business owners along Baltimore Avenue and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell supported the project. Meetings were held with neighbors who live near the building and feared their property taxes would increase as a result of the development. Iron Stone successfully navigated the often tricky zoning process.

Now the project appears to be on hold indefinitely. Continue Reading

Rue 52 owner Mahari Bailey (photo by Mike Lyons).

West Philly native Mahari Bailey sees his new coffee shop on 52nd Street as a symbol of sorts. Rue 52 (503 S. 52nd, near the southwest corner of Malcolm X Park) has all the requisite quirks of a trendy urban hangout – great coffee and eats, local art on the walls, free WIFI and an owner who likes to hangout there and prefers t-shirts to ties.

Rue 52, which is officially a crêperie and espresso bar, is unlike just about any other business near it on 52nd Street, once the core of West Philly’s arts and culture scene. Bailey says people always want to know why he’s trying this on 52nd Street. But he sees Rue 52 as a small step in returning that grand street to its former glory. Continue Reading

This upcoming Second Friday on Lancaster Avenue, Oct. 12, look out for Fall Market discounts, street vendors, live music, giveaways and plenty more. Little Baby’s Ice Cream Truck and Jimmie’s Cupcakes will also be there in this beautiful fall weather.

This information came from a neighbor, Linda:

“This adorable little fellow showed up on the 4500 block of Regent yesterday [on Tuesday] and is still around. He is maybe 4 or 5 months old, has a new red collar but no tag/label. He is very sociable, fearless, loves attention and to be held. If an owner isn’t found, this babe will need a home to call his own. He’s making the rounds of the porches, but none of the residents on that block is able to take him in…. And he really wants in!”

To contact Linda, please email: lml3@verizon.net

Spruce Hill Bird Sanctuary.

Our fine feathered friends at Spruce Hill Bird Sanctuary need more food to make it through the toughest months of the year, so Spruce Hill Community Association is organizing a Fall Bird Food Drive. Residents are asked to donate a bag of sunflower seeds, suet cakes, or good quality general bird seed. Bird food is available at pet stores, supermarkets or local garden centers and nurseries.

You can drop off the purchased bird food at the following locations: Baltimore Pet Shoppe (4532 Baltimore Ave), Milk and Honey (45th and Baltimore) and Spruce Hill Community Association (257 45th St., call 215 349-7825 for open hours).

The sanctuary has four posts that hold 15 feeders. You might see over a dozen different kinds of birds there. The entrance is next to 233 S. Melville and it is open to the public. For more information, click here.

The collaboration between Diedra Krieger, a participating artist in the 40th Street Artist-in-Residence program, and community members made it possible to create something amazing at the corner of 49th and Chancellor Streets. Plastic Fantastic is a 16-foot geodesic dome covered in over 6000 recycled water bottles collected from residents and organizations.

The project’s goal is to raise public awareness to such problems as access to clean water, the politics of water, environmental issues, recycling, self-care, and equity. The dome structure, which is a metaphor of liberated consciousness, was first built in 2007 and since then the Plastic Fantastic project has traveled to many locations, most recently to Salisbury University (in 2011).

Plastic Fantastic is a great community effort. Besides the artist and individual water bottle collectors, the installment at 49th and Chancellor is a joint collaboration among Huey School’s after school program, Portside Art Center, University City District, 40th Street AIR, Mariposa’s Food Justice and Anti-Racism (FJAR) Working Group, The Rotunda, Hector’s Metal Shop, Inciting H, Planet Fitness, Bikram Yoga of Philadelphia, and Bartram’s Garden.

The project will be on display through October 17 and this Friday (Oct. 12) everyone is invited to a public reception, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the corner of 49th and Chancellor. As part of this project, there will also be a free film screening at the Lucien E. Blackwell Library (125 S. 52nd St) on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 5:45 p.m. The film, Tapped, sheds light on the bottled water industry’s impact on our health, economy, environment and more. Please RSVP to: education@mariposa.coop

To learn more about this project, visit Plastic Fantastic Facebook page.

Huey After School Program students helped out with the Plastic Fantastic project (they got 1000 bottles onto the dome).