Drexel University officials have announced that the school will use a $10 million donation to build a community center that will offer residents in Powelton Village and Mantua a host of services, from free legal and health clinics to art programs and advice for small businesses.

Two properties and a former elementary school on Spring Garden Street between 34th and 35th streets will house the center, which will occupy about 29,000 square feet.

Drexel President John Fry told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he wants the center to help Drexel become the most civically engaged university in the country. Dana Dornsife, a 1983 Drexel graduate, and her husband David donated the money for the project, which will draw on faculty and student expertise to help address issues in the surround neighborhood.  The Dornsifes are based in California.

The center is expected to open in 2014.

Mayor Michael Nutter is frequently spotted here in West Philly. Last week he cut the ribbon on the Dorrance Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises at 48th and Spruce and tomorrow he’s coming to inaugurate the Woodland Avenue Pedestrian Plaza at 42nd and Woodland. The Woodland Avenue plaza is a formerly neglected traffic triangle that has been transformed into a green area with bistro tables and umbrellas thanks to a partnership between University City District, the Mayor’s Office of Transportation, and the Philadelphia Streets Department.

All are welcome to join the Mayor and other stakeholders at the dedication of the plaza, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Complimentary treats will be served by Little Baby’s Ice Cream and Four Worlds Bakery.

Here are a few stories from around West Philadelphia in the past week or so. Thanks to all the contributors who sent us information.

• Child Sexually Assaulted in Belmont. Police are searching for two men who sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl on Saturday night (Aug. 25, 8:34 p.m.) in the Belmont area of West Philly. The men accosted the girl when she was reportedly walking home from a nearby block party, took her to the rear of an abandoned building near Cambridge and 41st Street and raped. The men are described between 20 and 30 years old. Read more about the ongoing investigation here. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251.
• Mantua Community Group Suing Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. A local community group, Mantua Community Planners, is suing Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and the City of Philadelphia for kicking them out of the recreation center at 34th and Haverford. The suit claims that Blackwell locked the group out of the building that they had occupied for 45 years, removed their desks and office equipment and destroyed historical records of MCP’s work within the community. In addition to that, Blackwell allegedly struck a supporter of the group with her car’s side-view mirror and drove away. Blackwell denies both claims. Blackwell, the group alleges, is “selling out the community to the highest bidder and her political supporters.” To read more about the lawsuit, click here.
• First Round Capital Moves to West Philadelphia. First Round Capital, one of the nation’s top early-stage venture capital firms, is planning to move its headquarters to West Philly. The company, with current headquarters in West Conshohocken, has set sights on the building at 4040 Locust Street, the former Urban Outfitters store location. It is planned to initially employ about 10 people in the West Philly office and also to host five startup companies including Technically Philly, Uber Philadelphia, and Curalate, according to an article in the Area Development magazine. In addition, 24 entrepreneurs will be invited to develop their concepts and there will be space to host educational and community events.

A neighborhood favorite when it came to halal meat and injera – that hard-to-find-and-even-harder-to-make Ethiopian and Eritrean bread – has closed. But it will be back.

Mohamed’s Halal Center on the north side of Walnut near 46th closed its doors late last month, but its owners plan to return to the area’s food scene in a couple of months with a spot on 48th Street near Spruce at the Center for Culinary Enterprises (CCE), which will house three retail spaces in addition to the shared-use commercial kitchens, an “eKitchen” smart classroom that will include a demonstration kitchen/television studio and other innovative programs. The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation is coordinating the $5 million CCE.

We’re going to have a lot more on this soon, including the concepts behind the three retail spaces, but we just wanted to pass along the word on Mohamed’s for now. No word yet on what might become of the building on Walnut, which has housed many businesses over the years.

(H/T UCNeighbors)

A large Wine and Spirits Store is coming to the corner of 43rd and Chestnut, replacing an adult video store and check cashing spot.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) voted 3-1 to approve the proposed store, which had drawn support from many neighborhood residents and opposition from others, mostly Muslims who live near the location or worship at a nearby mosque.

A timeline for the 5,000-square-foot store’s opening is not yet available. Renovations could begin as early as August when the check cashing establishment’s lease runs out. The video store, Risque Video, is on month-to-month lease. An initial 10-year lease for the Wine and Spirits Store has been proposed. The store will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed on Sundays, according to the proposal.

The ZBA’s decision reverses a denial of the proposal in April and follows a special hearing last week that included more public input.

The Wine and Spirits Store at 4301 Chestnut St. will be a a “premium collection” store similar to the ones near 12th and Chestnut and 19th and Chestnut, which feature a broader selection of products than other stores and do not sell small package items such as pints and half pints. This will be the first premium store in West Philadelphia.

Stipulations in the proposal include increased security around the store.

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) is appealing to the City Council to delay the implementation of the controversial property tax assessment overhaul, the Actual Value Initiative (AVI), which could help bail out the city beleaguered school district by increasing taxes on long under-valued properties. Residents in neighborhoods where property values have far outpaced the city’s valuation could see their property tax bills double, triple or even quadruple.

City Council is expected to consider AVI legislation at Thursday’s regularly scheduled meeting. The City Council has until July 1st to submit a new budget and tax rate. But the property assessments needed to implement the AVI have not been completed. That’s one of the reasons the SHCA is pressing for a delay.

In a letter sent to members today, SHCA President Ed Halligan urged the City Council to take more time to let residents prepare for what could be substantial changes to their tax bills. The extra time would also allow city assessors to do a thorough inventory and assessment of the city’s housing stock.

Several versions of the AVI have been floating around City Hall and it is unclear what the final version might look like. What does look certain is that a basic formula will hold: If your home has been assessed too low, your taxes will likely increase.

While homeowners would be hardest hit, many renters will probably not be immune from dramatic tax increases as property owners will likely look to pass on the added costs.

There are lots of resources available on the AVI and we will collect them when and if it’s passed. Meanwhile, here is a good primer on the AVI that Plan Philly put together a few weeks ago.

Below is a copy of the SHCA letter to Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell.
SHCA letter to Jannie Blackwell