Posted on 25 September 2023 by WestPhillyLocal.com
Parkside Neighborhood Preservation, an affordable housing property, has reopened in Fairmount Park near 42nd and Parkside after renovation. Mission First Housing Group, which develops and manages affordable and sustainable homes for low-income Philadelphians, completed the historic preservation of 82 affordable housing units in 16 buildings along the 4100 and 4200 blocks of Parkside Avenue and at 4201 Girard Avenue and 1237-1241 Belmont Avenue.
The buildings, which date back to 1895, were last renovated in 2001-2003 and the property was at risk due to its declining physical condition. The buildings needed updates such as windows repair/replacement, HVAC upgrades, exterior repairs, including porch and masonry work, flooring throughout the buildings, new appliances, and some bathroom and kitchen upgrades. Painting was completed in the units and common areas as well.
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Posted on 19 July 2017 by WestPhillyLocal.com
A group of local non-profits and Reading Terminal Market are teaming up to bring more fresh and healthy food to Parkside residents this summer. The first-ever Parkside Fresh Food Fest kicked off on Viola Street between 41st St and Belmont Ave on July 6 and will be held on select Thursdays from 6 to 7 p.m. throughout this summer. The festival brings fresh food to residents (via a food share program) and also includes cooking demonstrations from Reading Terminal, live entertainment and activities for families.
The next event in the series will take place this Thursday, July 20, and the remaining four events are scheduled on the following dates: Aug. 10, 24 and Sept. 14, 21.
The food share program was created after gauging residents’ interest in a potential subsidized Community Supported Agriculture service for East Parkside. Each food share includes fresh fruit, vegetables, locally-sourced eggs and/or dairy, and an assortment of other grocery items from Reading Terminal. Participation in the food share program requires a subscription (four-event subscription is $35), and some limited single shares ($10) will be available at each event. Information on each item in the food share package will be included along with a recipe card.
The series seeks to use food as the foundation to build community and utilize common public space. Attendees can also participate in organized art activities, bicycle safety workshops from the Indego Bike Share, and a Philadelphia Free Library Book Nook for children. Activities will vary each week and may include live music performances and a movie night.
The program is supported by the Knight Foundation.
More information about the fest can be found here. To subscribe to Parkside Market Food Share, click here and type the password “viola”.
Posted on 09 February 2017 by Mike Lyons
The School Reform Commission on Wednesday approved a new charter school to be located in the Parkside neighborhood in West Philadelphia. KIPP Parkside is scheduled to open during the 2019-2020 academic year with grades K-4.
The school’s opening was one of the stipulations the SRC placed on the approval. The school’s application proposed opening in the 2018-2019 school year. The SRC also limited the school to grades K-4, adding that it could expand to the proposed K-8 if it performed well.
KIPP Parkside garnered unanimous approval from the SRC, which denied the applications of two other schools – the Friendship Whittier Charter School in the West Allegheny neighborhood and the Deep Roots Charter School in Harrowgate. Only three proposals made it through the full process this year. The evaluation reports for all three proposed schools are available here.
About a third of Philadelphia’s approximately 130,000 public school students attend charter schools, second only to Detroit among big cities.
Posted on 17 August 2016 by WestPhillyLocal.com
The proposed site plan for the Centennial Commons (Courtesy of Studio | Bryan Hanes)
Centennial Commons, the project that will provide a much needed recreation space near The Please Touch Museum in West Parkside, is expected to break ground this Fall, according to a report by PlanPhilly. The first construction phase of the project, initiated by Fairmount Park Conservancy, the Parkside Association of Philadelphia and East Parkside Residents Association, includes park “porches”.
When completed, the project will provide a seating area with landscaping that will give both residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy the space. It will also include a large playground with a climbing wall and spray park.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the William Penn Foundation are funding the project as part of an $11 million grant to re-imagine public spaces in Philadelphia. The total cost of the Centennial Commons project is approximately $7 million.
Read more about the project here and here.
Posted on 15 November 2015 by Mike Lyons
UPDATE: The zebras are in custody. According to reports, one was captured in Lower Merion.
Police are in pursuit of a couple of zebras that escaped from a circus near 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue Sunday afternoon. The zebras slipped out of the circus at about 2 p.m., according to police. Motorists and pedestrians have photographed and videoed the zebras running through the parking lot near the Shoprite center near 52nd and Jefferson. The zebras escaped from the Universoul Circus, which is set up near the Mann Music Center. Last week the circus made headlines when a trapeze artist bounced out of a safety net and into the crowd. He was hospitalized.
Here are some sightings:
Posted on 06 November 2015 by WestPhillyLocal.com
The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) activated their latest addition to the Red-Light Camera Program at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5. The new cameras at the intersection of Belmont and Parkside Avenues in West Philadelphia mark the 29th location for the program, which now has 126 cameras installed total.
The activation began a 45-day warning period at the intersection. Drivers found in violation during this grace period will receive warnings in the mail, which ends at midnight on December 20. After the period ends, violators will face a $100 fine for each offense.
“This is a heavily traveled intersection that is used by local residents and visitors to several of our city’s cultural institutions,” said Vince Fenerty, PPA’s Executive Director. “These new cameras will make it safer for everyone because drivers will think twice before going through a red light.” Continue Reading
Parkside Neighborhood Preservation, an affordable housing property, has reopened in Fairmount Park near 42nd and Parkside after renovation. Mission First Housing Group, which develops and manages affordable and sustainable homes for low-income Philadelphians, completed the historic preservation of 82 affordable housing units in 16 buildings along the 4100 and 4200 blocks of Parkside Avenue and at 4201 Girard Avenue and 1237-1241 Belmont Avenue.
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