Construction has begun on a new 8-story apartment building at the former parking lot on the southwest corner of 49th and Spruce. The building will include 150 residential units from the first through seventh floors and a roof deck on the eighth floor. The project also includes 41 parking spaces and 63 bicycle spaces on the ground floor.  Continue Reading

A new bagel shop inspired by sojourns to legendary Manhattan shops like H&H and Zabar’s has opened in the Powelton neighborhood last week.

Brothers Brett and Kyle Frankel opened Bart’s Bagels at 3945 Lancaster Ave. The shop was recently featured on 6ABC news. The brothers grew up in Philadelphia and reportedly often visited their uncle in New York where they were bit by the bagel bug, according to the report.

The new shop includes a kitchen, and all bagels (about a dozen varieties!) are handmade on-site, according to the report. Meats are also roasted on-site. The shop also serves schmears and sandwiches. Continue Reading

Police arrested two people at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday after they crashed a car near 43rd and Sansom they believe to be owned by the victim of a fatal stabbing in East Germantown early Wednesday morning.

Police pursued the vehicle along West Philly streets on Wednesday morning in connection to the murder of a 65-year-old woman in East Germantown. The woman was found unresponsive inside a bathtub at her home on the 300 block of Mechanic Street around 1:20 a.m. on Wednesday. She had multiple stabbing wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The woman is reportedly the mother of a Philadelphia police officer.  Continue Reading

Monthly Spruce Hill Zoning Committee meetings resume after a short break in December. The Monday, Jan. 13, meeting will include:

• Ethiopian restaurant Abyssinia, located at the corner of 45th and Locust, would like to offer outdoor seating to its customers in the near future. The restaurant owner will be at the meeting to discuss this proposal, as well as a proposed expansion to the adjacent empty storefront, a former laundromat, on S. 45th Street (see photo).

• A zoning application for seven family dwelling at 4206 Chester Avenue will also be discussed. It’s a multi-family home built in 1900 and is a little over 4,800 square feet, according to Realtor.com.

The meeting will be held at the Spruce Hill Community Association Headquarters (257 S. 45th St), beginning at 7 p.m.

Grindcore X Crust coffee shop & bakery is now open at 42nd and Chester. (Photo by West Philly Local)

A Manyaunk-based vegan bakery, Crust, has opened their first storefront in West Philly! The coffee shop and bakery recently opened at 42nd and Chester, on the ground floor of the new three-story apartment building, across from Millcreek Tavern (we wrote about the plans to open a coffee shop in that location in a March 2019 post).

The new shop is called Grindcore X Crust and is a collaboration between Crust Vegan Bakery and Grindcore House, a South Philly based vegan-friendly coffee shop. They supply coffee, tea, bagels and sandwiches for the new shop, while Crust sells pastries, cakes by the slice, pop tarts, and more (see photo below). Continue Reading

If you want to dispose of your Christmas tree responsibly, here’s a great opportunity. The annual Tree-Cycling event organized by University City District and UC Green will be held on Saturday, Jan. 11 at two neighborhood parks: Clark Park (43rd and Chester) and Malcolm X. Park (51st and Pine).

Tree-Cycling at Clark Park will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and at Malcolm X. Park from 12:30 to 3 p.m. A $5-$20 suggested donation is requested at both events.

After you drop off your tree you can watch it being mulched by staff and volunteers from UC Green and Bartlett Tree Experts. The mulch from the trees will be used at local parks and your donation will support UC Green community greening services and programming.  Continue Reading