It has been almost three years since the Parklet at The Bank building asked community members to reimagine the use of a parking lot and take advantage of additional outdoor space in their neighborhood.

This Fall, the People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC) is seeking six professional West Philly-based artists to help them continue to beautify the Parklet. In collaboration with community members, artists will create one in a series of permanent murals on the half-walls surrounding The Bank, the repurposed United Bank building, on Lancaster and Powelton Avenues.

Go here for more information and to register. Registration deadline has been extended until Sunday, Sept. 9, 2019 11:59 p.m. The Artist Pitch – Open Mic Presentation – will take place on Friday, Sept. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Neighborhood Time Exchange (4017 Lancaster Ave.).

The inside of an Ilera Healthcare dispensary, which company officials told the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee will be very similar to one proposed for 4237 Walnut Street (from Ilera’s website).

The Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee encouraged officials from a medical marijuana dispensary to formally apply for zoning for a location near 43rd and Walnut after an informational meeting this week.

Ilera Healthcare wants to open the dispensary at 4237 Walnut St., a property that has housed health-related businesses for several years. It would be the first medical marijuana dispensary in West Philly and the company’s second in the region.  Continue Reading

Artist’s rendering of the proposed seven-story apartment building at 40th and Market Streets.

The Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee got a first look at a project that will likely reshape the bustling 4000 block of Market Street.

A seven-story, 42-unit apartment building with ground floor commercial space is proposed for the southwest corner of 40th and Market, right on top of one of the busiest Market-Frankford El stops in West Philly. The project would require the demolition of two properties, currently occupied by a Crown Chicken and Royal Donuts.  Continue Reading

The School District’s 11th annual back-to-school event will be held on Thursday, August 22, at the High School of the Future (4021 Parkside Ave.) from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The first 8,000 students attending this event will receive free book bags filled with school supplies.

Over 100 vendors will be on-site providing information, student enrollment services and social service resources. The event will also offer free haircuts, children’s eye glass testing, and dental services. There will also be free educational workshops, and a fun Kids Zone.

The University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety has announced the following closures of Spruce Street to accommodate students moving into dorms for the 2019-2020 academic year:

Saturday, Aug. 17:
From 34th Street to 38th Street: 6:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 20:
From 34th to 38th: 6:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 21:
From 34th to 38th: 6:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 24:
From 38th to 40th: 6:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.  Continue Reading

Healthcare center at 4237 Walnut Street where a marijuana dispensary may be coming.

A medical marijuana dispensary licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health is being proposed at 4237 Walnut Street. A current operation is in Plymouth Meeting and the health care facility (ILERA Health Care) is interested in a West Philadelphia location, according to Spruce Hill Zoning Committee Chair Barry Grossbach.

Residents are invited this upcoming Monday, Aug. 19 to the monthly Spruce Hill community zoning meeting to learn more about this proposal and others. An application for a zoning variance hasn’t been filed yet, according to Grossbach, and the meeting is informational only at this time. “The company has indicated an interest in maximum transparency on how such a facility operates given the newness of this operation,” Grossbach wrote in an email announcement. The site at 43rd and Walnut has served as a Rite Aid and as home to a variety of health related operators before.  Continue Reading