Last week, representatives from Tower Investments went before the ZBA with a proposal to convert 201 Spring Garden St., currently set up as a commercial building, into 17 condo units. Tower has owned the property since 2006, when they purchased the building in a package along with some property on Green Street that was developed into single family homes just this past year.

201 Spring Garden

Green St homes

According to representatives from Tower, who presented to the NLNA Zoning Committee last month (for a second time), the commercial arrangement simply isn’t working at this location, despite the tax breaks inherent in the fact that the building is a Keystone Opportunity Zone. The developer wishes to eliminate all commercial uses at this property, and create 5…

A couple of weeks back, the Philadelphia Planning Commission gave its blessing to a proposal that’s been floating around for about a year now, for bro-bar Finnigan’s Wake to take over little Bodine Street for the purposes of porch seating for catering customers. We’ve always been fond of the look of the outside of this bar, but confess we haven’t been inside since a fateful night in 2003, when our shoes narrowly avoided vomit at two different locations within a matter of minutes.

Finnigans Wake

Bodine St

According to this story on Planphilly, Bodine Street will be struck, and closed to car traffic. In its place will be a raised patio, with seating for Finnigan’s Wake customers. There will, however, be a six foot wide path for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.…