The two plans under consideration for Woodland Avenue near the intersection with Chester Avenue and down to 42nd Street.

Traffic lights and crosswalks are coming to the section of Woodland Avenue near The Woodlands cemetery and the intersection with Chester Avenue.

Visitors to The Woodlands know that crossing Woodland Avenue at the awkward intersection at Chester or the trolley portal can get a little dicey. But a new plan unveiled last night at a Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) meeting will slow traffic along Woodland and close down the little section of 41st Street that often baffles drivers and pedestrians alike.

“The whole project is about user safety, whether you’re a pedestrian, a cyclist or a driver,” Julie Bush of the landscape architecture firm Ground Reconsidered told the SHCA board. Continue Reading

HopePHL’s first community Program Fair, held on March 29, was a “resounding success,” according to the organizers, and connected Philadelphia youth, families and community members with vital programs and services. The fair showcased all the programs and teams from People’s Emergency Center and Youth Service, Inc. now available from one organization. People of all ages and backgrounds learned about the different programs available, asked questions, and enrolled in programs on the spot.

More than 100 guests attended the event. The fair featured 17 programs for different needs, like computer classes, family reunification, youth emergency shelter, and supports for families experiencing homelessness. Attendees had the chance to meet the teams behind the programs, win special prizes, and enjoy snacks and fun – including an ice sculpting demonstration from West Philly’s own Ice Sculpture Philadelphia. Continue Reading

Street sweepers will be back in West and Southwest Philly, cleaning from Monday through Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with no service performed on City-observed holidays.

Here are the areas where the Mechanical Street Cleaning will be performed:

• Parkside Ave. to Spring Garden St. from 52nd to 40th (map)
• Woodland Ave. to Kingsessing Ave. from 49th to Cemetery (map) Continue Reading

Grant Blvd founder and CEO, Kimberly McGlonn, outside the new store.

Grant Blvd, the West Philly based Black-owned business centered on sustainability and ethical clothing production, is set to open its new flagship store this spring at 140 S. 34th St., according to a recent announcement by Penn’s Division of Facilities & Real Estate Services.

Kimberly McGlonn, Ph.D., the founder and CEO of Grant Blvd, plans to expand upon her current success by taking designs in a new direction, and elevating the shopping experience for consumers with the opening of the new flagship store in University City.

Grant Blvd is the first Black-owned B Corp in the fashion space in North America, and a manufacturing start-up. In addition to reducing waste before and after production through sustainably focused design, the company works to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of those currently and formerly impacted by the criminal system by partnering with local non-profit and government agencies to create living wage employment opportunities. Continue Reading

An artist’s rendering of the apartment complex proposed for 4601 Market St.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier is once again calling on residents to push developers of a 1,240-unit apartment complex at 46th and Market Streets to include affordable housing during a meeting scheduled for March 27.

The meeting is part of the Civic Design Review process for “Mill Creek Station,” an upscale cluster of five seven-story buildings, one 19-story building and courtyards that will have “outdoor kitchens, lounge spaces and a pool for the residents,” according to the plan. The apartment complex would be adjacent to the city’s juvenile detention center at 48th and Haverford.

You can review the recent history of 4601 Market Street across a couple municipal administrations – from its designation as the new police headquarters and morgue to the current proposal – here. Continue Reading

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s path to re-election got a lot easier this week when Jabari K. Jones, widely seen as a viable competitor to her 3rd District seat, dropped out of the race.

Jones, the 28-year-old head of the West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative, positioned himself to the right of Gauthier on issues like development and crime, but withdrew from the race on Monday ahead of a hearing on legal challenges to his nominating petitions. He was one of about a two dozen candidates for City Council who faced challenges to their paperwork this week. The challenges are a longstanding tradition in Philly politics.

Lodged by three 3rd District voters and committeepeople, the legal challenges alleged that many of the people who signed Jones’ nominating petitions did not live in the District or were not registered Democrats. City Council candidates are required to submit 750 signatures to be nominated.

The 3rd District race was setting up to be one of the more competitive races in this year’s municipal primaries. There is no Republican challenger to Gauthier’s seat. All 17 City Council seats will be on May 16 primary ballots.