The 50-year-old McDonald’s building at 40th and Walnut has been demolished to make room for a new six-story office building, which will host a new McDonald’s restaurant on the ground floor (see rendering below). The project is part of the University of Pennsylvania’s plan to invest in the 40th Street Corridor, which began more than 20 years ago. Penn purchased the land from McDonald’s last year and will lease space to it in the new building.

The construction of the new building, which will house Penn offices on the floors 2 through 6, is expected to begin shortly. The building is anticipated to open for operation next summer or fall. Continue Reading

Unfortunately, there have been reports of two more food establishments closing in West Philly.

• University City’s iconic City Tap House unexpectedly announced permanent closing after 13 years  in operation at 3925 Walnut Street on Feb. 23 and closed three days later. The following message was posted on City Tap House University City’s Instagram page:

“It is with a heavy heart that we are informing you that the last day of service will be Sunday, February 26th. This was a difficult decision, as this location was the launchpad for our company’s growth over the last 13 years.”

Following the announcement, numerous messages of support followed in the comments. Continue Reading

An artist’s rendering of the planned residential housing on the 4601 Market Street site. Looking east from 48th and Market.

The developers of 4601 Market St. have postponed their community meeting scheduled for today to reportedly discuss adding “deeply affordable” units to what will be one of the largest apartment building project in recent West Philly history.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier last week called on Iron Stone Real Estate Partners to make 20 percent of the planned 1,240 units available to low income renters. Iron Stone included no provisions for affordable units in a proposal submitted to the city ahead of its scheduled March 7 Civic Design Review hearing, which has also been postponed.

“Iron Stone agreed to postpone their community meeting to discuss affordability with the community and the City!,” Gauthier tweeted on Tuesday. “I look forward to working with Iron Stone to keep 20%+ of the homes at 4601 Market deeply affordable.” Continue Reading

For some folks living in the Spruce Hill neighborhood, which borders Penn’s campus, the time when students move out in May and leave tons of unwanted stuff behind is considered “Penn Christmas.” One can find gently used furniture, designer clothes and shoes and even a high-end surfboard or two.

For others, it’s a trash – plain and simple.

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) has been working with the University of Pennsylvania to help improve the Penn community’s response to the excessive trash left behind on streets and sidewalks in the neighborhood when students move out.

SHCA prepared a short online survey to help guide these discussions with the University, which may lead to “real improvements.” Residents are asked to complete a short online survey so your their can be considered. The results will be shared with Penn partners who are working to solve these issues.

The survey can be accessed via this link.

An artist’s rendering of the planned apartment complex. This view is east from 48th street. The Provident building is in the background.

UPDATE: The community meeting has been postponed. See the story here.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier has issued a last-minute call for developers of the massive property at 46th and Market Streets to rethink their plans to build 1,240 apartments to include a “substantial” number of affordable units.

A community meeting with developers, Iron Stone Real Estate Partners, is planned for March 1 at 6 p.m. at the Alain Locke School (4550 Haverford Ave). The meeting is scheduled less than a week before the city’s Civic Design Review hearing on the plan scheduled for March 7, essentially the last chance for the public to weigh in on the proposal.

Iron Stone revealed plans over the summer to build six apartment buildings, including a 19-story tower on the site, which includes the gold-cupolaed Provident building and is adjacent to the 46th Street El stop. The Provident building now houses the Public Health Management Corporation, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia offices, and a charter school. The rest of the site, some 13 acres, is mostly open space. Continue Reading

3.0 University Place (an artist’s rendering). Image courtesy of University Place Associates (UPA).

Construction of 3.0 University Place, an eight-story commercial lab and office building at 41st and Market, is nearly complete, according to an announcement by University Place Associates (UPA), a commercial real estate development firm.

The building is scheduled for completion and will be ready for tenants in April. The 250,000 square-foot research hub will feature lab and office space on the upper floors, as well as a 14,000 square-foot green roof. It also features 25,000 square feet of retail space that developers aim to fill with a restaurant, an urgent care center, and a café in the coming months.

“We believe this location would be perfect for a restaurant, which is something the community has expressed a high interest in having in this neighborhood,” said Anthony Maher, President of UPA. The plan for the building also includes “plenty of outdoor café seating, an expansive sidewalk on all perimeters, and ample parking,” according to Maher. Continue Reading