Neighbors in Spruce Hill in West Philadelphia are attempting to build up their organization by offering free membership for new members that join the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) between now and next winter.

Some civic groups charge fees and some don’t. SHCA fees are $20 a year. The group’s more than 300 members provide an annual budget of $6,000 that contributes to the organization’s efforts in the community. Current members decided to offer free membership in order to boost the group’s numbers, ostensibly increasing the budget in years to come. Ten new members had joined by early May, according to Rich Guffanti, SCHA’s database coordinator.

Lot at 43rd and Baltimore

“There’s about a dozen things we do with it,” said Guffanti. That includes handling publicity and making the community aware of local development like plans for a 92-unit building at 43rd &…

We recently wondered when more of the vacant retail spaces along the seemingly thriving North 2nd Street in Northern Liberties would find new tenants. In early March, we shared the news of a proposal for a new cafe at 708 N. 2nd St. Those plans have since been approved and now a new proposal has been submitted for a 150 seat restaurant and jazz club two blocks to the north at 914 N. 2nd St.

The building

Jason and Delphine Evenchik, owners of Time and several other local establishments, appeared before the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association (NLNA) in April. They were asked to return with more formalized plans, according to Larry Freedman, NLNA zoning chair. According to Freedman, the plans were “cool” and included a stage, “nooks and crannies” and an outdoor rear garden.…

Developers for a proposed New Market Street project and members of the Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association zoning committee have been at it for months. After repeated visits to present before the neighborhood, developers tweaked a few final details and the NLNA zoning committee voted to approve the project at its Feb. 25 meeting.

The property in question

The end result will mean eleven new units at 938 New Market St., a property that extends to Hancock Street in the rear. Six rental units will be found in a building fronting New Market Street, and five condo units will be contained in two buildings fronting Hancock Street. The project, designed by Fusa Design, will transform an industrial site into residential dwellings.

Rendering of the New Market side, with plans for six units

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A new Lebanese café is slated to open at 708 N. 2nd St. sometime this spring or summer. Members of the Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association (NLNA) zoning committee tentatively approved the café at their Feb. 25 meeting.

The space

The owners already operate two cafes, including Café Cleopatra in University City, a hookah bar that also sells coffee, tea and smoothies. That location has existed for a few years.

The opening will bring a new business to a vacant storefront on North 2nd Street in Northern Liberties. Already located on this block are established places like 700 Club, Blind Pig, and Trophy Bikes. Across the street, you can find stalwart Liberties Restaurant, Chez Bow Wow, and a recently opened and rather successful Green Eggs location. The…

Months ago, we told you that developers had gone before NLNA with a proposal for 11 new homes at Front & Poplar, on a lot that sits between the Penn Treaty Village PENNTHOUSES and I-95. At the time, we wondered whether this development would ever get off the ground due to the challenging location, but expressed some optimism due to the momentum in the area thanks to the Penn Treaty Village development.

Well, it seems that our optimism was appropriate, as the project is very much underway.

In the past

Recent shot

As you can see, about half of the homes are framed out, with two already framed out to three stories. Foundations have been poured for the rest of the homes in the development, which we’re guessing will be constructed once the first round of homes sell.…

Passing by 413 Fairmount Ave. the other day, we noticed some construction activity at the old Arturo J. Wilson Funeral Home, which closed down in 2011. A dumpster sat out front, and all the windows were gone. We figured we’d get to the bottom of things to see whether a new funeral home was coming to the neighborhood, or whether something new was on the horizon.

Under construction

About a year ago, Hoolei LLC purchased the building for $320K. Back in June, Keira Winters went before NLNA with plans to transform the old funeral home space into a yoga studio and to renovate the upstairs space into two apartment units with rear decks. With NLNA’s blessing (and with a couple of provisos), the City granted the permits, and now you can see the wheels are in motion for a…