West Philadelphia residents are invited this and next month to University of the Sciences to participate in a series of career development workshops. This free four-week series will help improve your resume, networking skills, job search strategies, and interviews.

Workshops will be held at USciences Alumni Hall (Room 100) from 5 to 5:45 p.m. on April 18, April 25, May 2, and May 9.

Space is limited, so RSVP is required with address and phone number. Please email: e.lohbau@usciences.edu or call 215.596.8970.

                       Photo by Rana Fayez

Do you have a porch? Do you love live music? Would you like to have live music on your porch? Then there’s some good news! The third annual West Philly Porchfest is happening June 2nd, 2018 and you can be part of it.

An outdoor music festival where the stages are neighborhood porches, Porchfest started in Ithaca, NY back in 2007. The concept spread across the country, and made it here to West Philly in 2016. The festival is volunteer-run and completely free, and you can sign up as a band, as a porch or just as a general volunteer.  Continue Reading

If you still buy tokens for your traveling this is a good time to switch to the SEPTA Key card. SEPTA will end token sales at all Authority-operated locations on April 30. SEPTA will continue to accept purchased tokens for the foreseeable future, but customers are reminded that tokens can be loaded onto SEPTA Key cards with the full value added to the Travel Wallet.

Tokens will continue to be sold in bulk to social service agencies beyond April 30, and third-party retailers will also continue to sell tokens to the general public for now.

SEPTA has been gradually phasing out sales of tokens since January, but will continue to accept purchased tokens for the foreseeable future.

For more information on SEPTA Key Card, go here.

A rendering of the proposed five-unit apartment building for the vacant lot at 4829 Baltimore Ave. The Cedar Park Neighbors zoning committee asked the developers to reduce the number of units and the scale of the building.

The Cedar Park Neighbors zoning committee on Thursday evening convinced developers proposing a four-story, five-unit apartment building for a long empty lot on the 4800 block of Baltimore Ave. to slim down the project and introduce it again at a later date.

The plan requires variances from the city because the lot is zoned for a single-family home and the proposed building would cover more than 50 percent of the lot, which is between a building fronted by a nail salon on one side and a residential building on the other side. It includes five units ranging from 620 square feet to 1,400 square feet.

“I don’t think anyone is saying that Baltimore Avenue (on that lot) needs to be a single-family home, but five units is a big ask,” said zoning committee chair Shawn Markovich. “It’s overbuilt.”  Continue Reading

One of the most popular local shopping events of the year is returning this summer. University City District (UCD) has announced that Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, where guests can enjoy $1 specials from dozens of neighborhood businesses – from food and drinks to merchandise and theatre tickets – will be held twice this year: on June 7th and September 13th. The event draws thousands of visitors each year and also includes live music and entertainment.

This year, the organizers want to make sure that all food vendors participating in this event are in compliance with Philadelphia Health Department codes and public safety regulations. Currently, UCD is accepting applications from temporary community food vendors to participate in this event as official participants. Selected vendors will be included on maps and marketing materials for the event.  Continue Reading

Cedar Park Neighbors is holding a pubic zoning meeting this Thursday (March 29) that will focus on two development proposals on Baltimore Avenue:

• The event space Petite Féte has requested a use certificate for a banquet hall for up to 49 people on the first floor at 5042 Baltimore Ave. This site is currently zoned CMX-2 (Commercial use) and also has two residential units above (on the second and third floor). The proposed use, “Assembly and Entertainment,” requires a special exception approval in this zoning district.  Continue Reading