Throughout this month, SEPTA crews have been working on the Southwest Connection Improvement Program, rebuilding the main infrastructure on the Media/Elwyn Line between 30th Street Station and the Arsenal Interlocking, which is below Penn Medicine Station (former University City Station).

The work, which takes place every weekend, began on August 7th and is expected to be completed this Sunday, Aug. 29.

This Saturday and Sunday, there will be some SEPTA service changes to facilitate the construction: Continue Reading

The next Spruce Hill Community Association’s Zoning Committee meeting will take place Thursday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. (see more details below). The meeting will focus on several development projects proposed along Chestnut Street – from 40th to 46th Street:

4519-45 Chestnut Street: Six-story residential development with 327 units is being proposed on an existing parking lot at West Catholic High School.

4145 Chestnut Street: A residential building with 136 units and ground floor commercial/retail;

4301-29 and 4331-37 Chestnut Street: A seven-story mixed use complex with 275 residential units. Continue Reading

Here’s a quick update on our last month’s post regarding the development of a 132-unit residential complex at 43rd and Baltimore (4224 Baltimore Ave) across from Clark Park.

Developers announced in June that they were finally moving forward with the construction. The work began promptly after the announcement. Street parking around the construction area was closed and trees were removed, which made the site much more open and unrecognizable. Some excavation work has also begun.

Zoning approval for the project was granted in June 2015 and building permit was issued in May 2019. Continue Reading

The 4224 Baltimore development site in 2013 (Photo by West Philly Local).

There’s finally some news on a development across from Clark Park that has been years in the making. The developers are set to proceed with the construction of a 132-unit residential building at 4224 Baltimore Avenue, the project that was first announced eight years ago and took a few years to get zoning approval.

The work is expected to begin within a few weeks, according to Barry Grossbach, Zoning Chair at Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA), and will include installation of the fence around the construction area, removal of trees in the area, removal of existing sidewalks and installation of concrete barriers to provide temporary sidewalks, closure of parking around the construction area, and finally, beginning of excavation work.

Zoning approval was granted in June 2015 and building permit was issued in May 2019.

Continue Reading

Artist’s rendering of Phase 2 of Wade Flats at 53rd and Whitby.

Residents got a closer look at a proposed 53-unit “equitable and inclusionary” apartment complex near 53rd and Baltimore set to begin construction later this month.

The local real estate developer Spak Group hosted the first of monthly info sessions with residents related to WADE Flats, which will be built along a vacant stretch of parcels at 5300-5310 Whitby Ave. – a couple of blocks south of Baltimore Ave. in Southwest Philly. Continue Reading

Partial demolition of the former Good Shepherd Community Church near 46th and Spruce Streets has begun to make way for a new apartment building.

A plan to convert the 1930s stone church building into studio and one-bedroom apartments was presented in 2019. Hightop Development are planning to turn the church’s front building facing 46th Street into 17 apartments and build a second, 8-unit building in the church’s garden. The facade on what was the former entrance-way is now being removed. Continue Reading