Construction of a new apartment building at 46th and Walnut has begun. The three-story 40-unit apartment building at 4525 Walnut Street, which is aimed at students, will also include a fitness room, office and cellar, according to the city’s Department of Licences and Inspections database records. As was reported earlier, University Realty, which owns many other properties in the Drexel, Penn and Temple university areas, purchased the lot last year. Here you can see what other University Realty’s student housing projects are currently underway.  Continue Reading

Photo courtesy University City District.

Custom-made swings, a new feature that was announced in the spring as part of a major enhancement of The Porch, a public space near 30th Street Station, are finally here. Designed by San Francisco-based Gehl Studio, the new swings are a result of the University City District’s mission to introduce innovative social seating in the area. You may have seen their Looped-In seating structures or custom public transit stop seats in your neighborhood.

The 14 slatted, wooden swings, which add an element of play to the space, were manufactured locally, by Bill Curran Design (BCD), based in Philadelphia’s East Falls. They come in three versions: the Porch Swing, which is meant to mimic swinging on a front porch; the Lounger, a gentle swing that simulates floating on air; and the Park Swing, an individual swing placed on the edges of the Porch.  Continue Reading

Residents rank priorities as part of drafting the Walnut Hill neighborhood plan last night at The Enterprise Center (Photo by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local).

A group of Walnut Hill residents met last night to put the finishing touches on a five-year plan that they hope will eliminate blight, improve local business and affordable housing opportunities and cut down on litter in the neighborhood.

The meeting was the final in a series of gatherings to create a plan that balances the demographic changes in the neighborhood in recent years with the needs and interests of long-time residents.

Walnut Hill’s borders are Market Street to the north, Spruce Street to the south, 52nd Street to the west and 45th Street to the east. The neighborhood’s population has changed a lot since the 2000 census. The number of white residents has risen from 12 to 23 percent and the number of African American residents has declined from 81 percent in 2000 to 67 percent in 2010, the year of the latest census. That number has probably dropped even further since then.  Continue Reading

Click to enlarge.

Here’s a short update on the widely discussed mixed-use residential and commercial project at 4224 Baltimore Avenue across from Clark Park. Construction of the 132-unit building, which will include upscale rental apartments aimed at young professionals and condo units for sale, is not expected to start until late summer 2016, according to a letter to the SHCA Zoning Committee and the Spruce Hill community sent by the land owner Clarkmore LP and project developer U3 Ventures. The project was approved by the Zoning Board of Adjustment in June after weeks of delays, clearing the last hurdle for the project to go ahead.

“We are now pursuing detailed design, construction cost estimation, [and] retail tenanting along with other detailed planning work,” reads the letter signed by Lenard Thylan, Omar Blaik, and Tom Lussenhop.

Although more details are not yet available, the 17,000 feet of commercial space may include a large fitness center and a full-service restaurant with outdoor seating, among other retail options. We’ll keep you posted when we have more information.

After a series of community meetings and discussions, the draft Walnut Hill Neighborhood Plan 2015 is ready and will be unveiled on Thursday, Aug. 27. Residents, stakeholders, and anyone interested are invited to the presentation and provide feedback on the new recommendations to guide the neighborhood’s development over the next five years.

The first neighborhood plan update meeting took place in February, when participants were presented information on the changes that occurred in the neighborhood since the previous plan was written. During the second meeting in May Walnut Hill residents took an active role in the planning process and voted on their top neighborhood priorities in the following areas: business and housing, streets and parking, healthy communities, and community development.

The meeting will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Enterprise Center (4548 Market St.).

UPDATE (8/22/2015): Demolition of the mid-19th century mansion at 40th and Pine has begun.

(8/18/2015): Demolition of the old mansion at 40th and Pine is expected to begin this week, according to the signs posted at the site:

Historical Commission cleared the way for demolition of the building in December 2014, after years of the dispute between the University of Pennsylvania, which owns the building, and the Woodland Terrace Homeowners Association over the mansion’s future. Architect Samuel Sloan-designed Italianate mansion was built in 1850’s. Penn purchased the property in 2008 and claimed financial hardship, which allowed them to demolish the building to make room for student housing. However, in 2013, they presented a compromise plan to incorporate the original part of the building into the proposed apartment complex, “Azalea Gardens.” The Woodland Terrace Homeowners Association rejected the proposal.