It wasn't so long ago that Old City was a hotbed for hot plates, as it were, with multiple restaurant supply businesses operating out of the neighborhood. Several of those businesses have closed over the years, but Swift Food Equipment at 148-56 N. 2nd St. has remained in the game.

Continuing a disappointing recent trend of short Civic Design Review committee agendas, next month's meeting will have but one new project on the docket, an 81 unit mixed-use building in Mount Airy. A proposal at 6915 Germantown Ave. isn't really so new though, as we've covered several possible projects at

How did we even manage to get through life before our burgers were smashed?! Luckily those dark days are behind us and residents of Fishtown will soon have yet another smash burger joint to check out. Earlier this week, 7th Street Burger secured permission from the ZBA to open their

In 2001, then Mayor Street launched the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI), which resulted in the demolition of over ten thousand vacant buildings across Philadelphia. As a result, the City took possession of many of those properties, aggressively swelling the list of City owned real estate. That list remains painfully long

In a perfect world, a building permit leads immediately to the construction of a cool new infill project, but that's not always how it goes. Sometimes a property needs to change hands once or twice before an owner is capable (and willing) to get shovels in the ground. It seems

Just a couple weeks ago, we visited 23 West, a new seven-story building on Girard Avenue that's nearing the finish line. This building is exactly the kind of project we love to see in this town; it replaced a one-story commercial building, has a bit of height, includes two new

It's been nearly a decade since Bella Vista was named the best neighborhood in Philadelphia, and this highly walkable neighborhood continues to shine. People are eager to live here, but the neighborhood is dominated by single family homes, with prevailing zoning limiting the potential for apartment rentals. So we were

Roosevelt Boulevard was constructed in the early part of the 20th century and originally ran a relatively short distance, from Broad Street to Torresdale. Over the years, the road has expanded several times, and today it runs eastward all the way to Bucks county. To the west, the City constructed

Churches in Philadelphia run the gamut, at least when it comes to architecture. Some old churches are nothing more than repurposes rowhomes, unassumingly blending in with their neighbors. Others are extremely ornate and are firmly considered a part of the city's rich architectural history. One church that fits firmly into

ZBA approval often represents the culmination of a lengthy entitlement process; a triumph which precedes building permits and construction. But a post-ZBA pivot is certainly possible, as long as the building envelope doesn't grow and the use changes are less impactful. In other words, a developer can always reduce density