Artist renderings of the 4746-48 Spruce St. project.

Residents are invited to join the Garden Court Community Association (GCCA) this Wednesday (May 11) for a discussion on a 13-story apartment building planned for the 4700 block of Spruce St.

The meeting, organized by the GCCA Zoning and Development Committee, is an opportunity to provide feedback as part of the city’s Civic Design Review process, where developers take non-binding suggestions from community groups and residents about things like building materials, building height, parking and landscaping.

The current plan includes the following: a 13-story building (six stories on the east end) with commercial space on the first and second floors (proposed uses include restaurant and grocery store), 170 residential units, 28 vehicular parking spaces (accessed via Spruce Street), 76 bicycle parking spaces, and an off-street loading dock (accessed via 48th Street). Continue Reading

UPDATE (5/6/2022): The annual Spruce Hill May Fair has been cancelled due to rain in the forecast for Saturday. The organizers decided to forego the rain date earlier this week. The raffle will continue, with the ticket purchase deadline of Sunday, May 22. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.sprucehillca.org/2022-may-fair-raffle/.

In recognition of the great hardship suffered by many neighborhood establishments, Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA), the May Fair longtime organizer, will purchase gift certificates from local businesses to bundle together in several themed baskets as raffle prizes. You can buy one book of six tickets for $5.

Please note that the May Fair is SHCA’s only major fundraising event, so purchasing raffle tickets is a good way to support them. Other ways to support this neighborhood organization is through membership or donations. Visit their website for more information.

Since the May Fair is cancelled, the University City Garden Club will hold a pop-up plant sale Sunday, May 8, 12-6 p.m. at the corner of Woodland Terrace and Woodland Ave.

Photo courtesy of West Philly Porchfest

Two popular outdoor music festivals are set to return next month – West Philly Porchfest and Make Music Philly – and the organizers are currently looking for participants.

West Philly Porchfest will be held on Saturday, June 4, from 12-6 p.m. The DYI festival features musicians who perform in all music genres, presenting free shows on porches all around the neighborhood. The festival has grown over the years – last year over 125 porches hosted Porchfest performances. Porch sign-up for this year’s fest is currently open. If you live in West Philly and would like to host a show on your porch, please go to this page and fill out a registration form. Continue Reading

The City’s down payment assistance program, Philly First Home, has reopened today, according to an announcement by the Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The program provides up to $10,000 (or 6 percent of the purchase price, whichever is less) in assistance to first-time homebuyers or those who have not owned a home for at least three years. The assistance recipient also must:

– Purchase a home in Philadelphia
– Have a household income at or below 100 percent Area Median Income (AMI)
– Complete housing counseling at a DHCD funded housing counseling agency. Continue Reading

West Craft Fest’s Spring edition will be held this Saturday, April 30, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the beautiful Woodlands. This popular outdoor event is now bigger than ever: more than 130 local artists and crafts people will showcase their handmade, unique art pieces and wares. More than 70 percent of these talented makers are based in West Philly! The event will also include live music, food trucks, and the crowd favorites, Tangle Movement Arts, will present their aerial performances.

Like last September, the Fest layout will be extended, stretching along Woodland Avenue on both sides of the main entrance. Food trucks will be on the East end of the action, and the stage area on the West, with all of the makers’ booths in between (see the map below). Continue Reading

Carlo Campbell as Richard III (photo by Stephen Hudgins).

Curio Theatre’s space at 48th and Baltimore will be home to a new production by Theatre in the X, the local Black theatre company known for their summer shows in West Philly’s Malcolm X Park. Beginning Thursday, April 28, Theatre in the X will present their take on William Shakespeare’s famous play Richard III.

Theatre in the X’s interpretation of Richard III is an homage to The African Grove Theatre – the first Black Theatre company in the recorded history of North America.

“This company, founded 44 years before the abolition of slavery, at a time when few blacks were literate (because it was illegal) took on this Shakespearean language, and the powers that be, and triumphed, in their own way,” reads a statement on the Theatre in the X website. “They laid the track for us and through their work and now with this production of Richard III, we honor them.​” Continue Reading