“Meet the NAS” night at Community Education Center (3500 Lancaster Ave.) was held Tuesday, Sept. 17. Special invited speaker was Raymond Jones, Director of External Relations for State Senator Vincent Hughes. Participants enjoyed a light reception and presentations from each candidate (Photo courtesy PEC). 

Residents of some West Philly neighborhoods have a chance to help determine future members of the Neighborhood Advisory Sub-Committee at PECCDC (People’s Emergency Center’s Community Development Corporation). These members help support community program activities provided by PEC and the City’s Division of Housing and Community Development. The NAS is a sub-committee of the PEC Board of Directors and its function is in an advisory role, acting as community level liaison. Elections are held every two years.

The next election will take place this upcoming Monday (Sept. 30), from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at two locations:  Continue Reading

                   112-114 S. 43rd Street.

The Spruce Hill Community Association Zoning Committee will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, Sept. 16, and one of the proposals on the agenda is construction of a new 12-unit apartment building on S. 43rd Street between Sansom and Chestnut.

The project involves consolidation of two lots – 112 and 114 S. 43rd St. – into one with demolition of the existing structure at 114, according to a Spruce Hill Zoning Committee announcement. The project envisions the construction of 12 units with four bicycle spaces and no parking. Property is in CMX-4 zoning, which requires four parking spots.  Continue Reading

Neighbors turned out at the First Corinthian Baptist Church on Monday to hear about plans for the property at 303 S. 51st St. (Photo by West Philly Local)

Neighborhood organizers have put together a list of requests for a developer who plans to build a 30-unit apartment complex on a lot tucked away at the end of a small alley near 51st and Spruce. They plan to present the requests during a meeting with the developer, Callahan Ward, next month.

About 70 people attended Monday’s meeting, which was hosted by Neighbors for Healthy Community Development (NHCD) at the First Corinthian Baptist Church at 51st and Pine, intended to gauge community support for requests related to safety, overbuilding on the lot and the inclusion of affordable units.  Continue Reading

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

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