The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) is inviting neighbors to learn more about and discuss new development proposals in the area at their next zoning committee meeting on Thursday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Orens Brothers presenting their new project at Spruce Hill zoning meeting in March, 2015.

A discussion of a new development project at 4415 Chestnut Street is scheduled to be the first item on the agenda. Orens Brothers proposed a bold development for 150 apartment units, 50 parking spots, and three commercial/retail spaces at 4415 Chestnut through to Ludlow and down Ludlow, both sides, to 44th street. This will be an opportunity for neighbors to hear the proposal and offer questions and comments.

Other agenda items include:

• Two family dwelling at 217 S. 42nd Street. The Committee and neighbors approved these two units earlier, and this is the official RCO meeting.

• Studio 34’s application for a Special Assembly License. Read more about this application on the Studio 34 Facebook page.

• 22-28 S. 43rd Street. Continuation of discussion on development of land adjacent to an existing mosque. An update from the architect on design issues will be presented.

• 4530 Locust Street. Application for a three-unit building.

The meeting will take place at the SHCA office at 257 S. 45th Street. Each topic discussion is expected to take about 15 minutes, except for the 4415 Chestnut St project, which may take up to an hour, according to a committee notice.

Workers were tearing down a residential building, a part of a twin, on the 4700 block of Walnut Street today. The Philadelphia Licences and Inspections office deemed the building at 4729 Walnut St “imminently dangerous” and ordered it to be demolished after parts of its roof, wall, ceiling and floor collapsed on Friday. The license type for the property indicates that it was vacant.

Scott (left) and Guy Orens talk to the Spruce Hill Zoning Committee on Wednesday about very rough plans for a residential building on the 4400 block of Chestnut. (Photo by Mike Lyons / West Philly Local)

A local developer gave the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee a sneak peak of their plan for a residential complex that would dramatically change the 4400 block of Chestnut Street.

Scott and Guy Orens, owners of Orens Brothers Real Estate, presented a project that was very early in the planning stages to build a five-story, 150-unit on the north side of the 4400 block of Chestnut that require the demolition of some vacant and owner-occupied homes and a warehouse along Ludlow Street.

The two brothers, whose firm has built or renovated several large residential buildings in the city including the once-abandoned Croydon building at 49th and Locust, were not yet seeking any approval for their plan from the committee.

They have already purchased many of the properties that would be required to build the complex, which would be one- and two-bedroom rentals, but public discussions about things like building design, materials and facade appearance have not yet begun.

“We are willing to participate in creating something that you will like,” Scott Orens told the committee.  Continue Reading

The Frank Furness-designed church buildings at 47th and Kingsessing were days away from demolition but are now undergoing renovation. (Photos by Mike Lyons / West Philly Local)

Renovation has begun on the 114-year-old Frank Furness-designed church at 47th and Kingsessing to convert it to commercial space that will likely house schools and save it from demolition.

The church building had fallen into such a state of disrepair that neighbors feared it may collapse. The City agreed and condemned the building, erected a chain-link fence and “cleaned” and “sealed” the building last June. Demolition seemed days away, but a local landlord, a historic preservationist and former Mayor Wilson Goode Sr. joined forces to convince the city to allow it to be sold and renovated.

After attempts to persuade the Department of Licenses and Inspections to remove the demolition decree didn’t work, Guy Laren, who owns several properties in West Philadelphia, and Penn historic preservation professor Aaron Wunsch asked for some help from Goode, who is chair of Partners for Sacred Spaces.

“What ultimately saved the church was Aaron’s unwillingness to give up,” said Laren by e-mail, who bought the main church building and the adjacent parish building.

The “Parish House” building adjacent to the main church building.

Laren said Wunsch boarded up windows to keep scrappers out and then courted Goode, who helped usher the purchase through the Department of Licenses and Inspections.

“The skies suddenly cleared,” said Laren.

They now have time to do the necessary repairs to shore up the church and hopefully satisfy L and I. Laren said he attracted two tenants, both schools, to occupy the space.

“I have two excellent potential tenants for most of the space inside the church,” he said. “Hopefully their tenancies will allow me to pay to renovate and restore the church.”

“If everything works out as I hope, there will be some additional space in the sanctuary that I can try to build out as either residential apartments or some other commercial use.”

The church’s latest tenant was the small congregation of St. Peter’s Church of Christ, which had occupied the church since 1979 and was reluctant to consider leasing the space to help pay for renovations.

– Mike Lyons

Old West Philly High School building at 48th and Walnut. (Archived photo)

Among the proposed new charter school applications that will come under public scrutiny this week is the “Philadelphia Music and Dance Charter School,” a K-12 school that could be housed in the old West Philadelphia High School building at 48th and Walnut.

The siting of the school at the old West Philly High building would require the building’s likely developer, which is in the process of purchasing it to convert to lofts, to lease a sizable chunk of the building – as much as 90,000 square feet –  to the school. The school expects up to 900 students when it hits full capacity in a few years.

The developer, New York-based Strong Place Partners, has apparently agreed to do that, according to the school’s application submitted in November. The public hearing for Philadelphia Music and Dance Charter School’s application is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. on Thursday.  Continue Reading

245 S. 45th Street earlier this week. (Photos by West Philly Local)

We’re catching up on the news of an old house being demolished on 45th Street between Spruce and Locust. Naked Philly reported last week that demolition work had begun on an old home in Spruce Hill at 245 S. 45th St. Well, the building, which is a 3780 sq. foot condo home built in 1935, was demolished earlier this week to make way for an eight-unit apartment building, according to the licence. The building was sold in June for $275,000 to Dvora Properties.

The property has been vacant for years. It was in deteriorating condition and had multiple code violations. It’s zoned RM1, which allows construction of multi-unit housing.

Dvora Properties is reportedly associated with Glasberg Properties, a developer who’s linked to student housing near Temple University, which “looks like the standard no-frills new construction you see around town,” according to Naked Philly.

By the way, speaking of the 200 block of 45th Street, some of you may have noticed that the Watusi II was undergoing some renovation. The restaurant has a new owner – Ethiopian American Temsgen Wolegzi. He purchased the property in July and reportedly has plans for a more formal restaurant to go along with the bar. Wolegzi presented plans for the restaurant, which has been renamed New Tavern (pictured left), to neighbors and the Spruce Hill Community Association over the summer, even presenting a proposed menu.

The city shut down the bar, which then was under different ownership, for several weeks last fall for failure to pay back taxes.