In Bella Vista

Almost two years ago, we first told you about plans for the Olive Townhomes, four new green homes facing a private courtyard on the 800 block of Carpenter Street. For quite some time, nothing happened at this site, but two months ago we brought you the good news that construction was

After stuffing our faces with cannoli at the Italian Market Festival, we found ourselves on the 1200 block of Carpenter St. and were surprised to see some new construction activity on the block. 1215 Carpenter St. was an overgrown vacant lot we'd never noticed, and now it's framed out over

We've probably written about the southwest corner of 10th & Carpenter half a dozen times in the last couple of years, often bearing the bad news that the latest business to call this little space home had closed its doors. From InFusion to Mazag Cafe to Filter Cafe to Bookz-n-Beans and

Earlier this week, we attended a BVTW zoning meeting and the buzz in the room was primarily about a proposed 70' building that was dead on arrival. The other prominent project discussed at this meeting was a proposal from US Construction for twenty-four new homes on the 900 block of

A reader gave us the heads up that at Tuesday's Bella Vista Town Watch meeting, there would be a presentation for a ridiculous new building at 712-14 S. 8th St., currently a rental parking lot. According to the meeting announcement, developers are planning a seventy-foot-tall six-story building for this 3,500

Neighborhood festivals can be great ways to bring together local businesses and residents, while at once building and showcasing the character of the neighborhood. In Northern Liberties, for example, thousands from inside and outside the neighborhood walked along 2nd Street and through the Piazza during last year's 2nd Street Festival.

It

For as long as we can remember, 1110-14 South St. has been a vacant lot despite its relatively prime location. Used primarily as a parking lot, some fairly awful murals have adorned one side of the lot, essentially putting some (cheap) lipstick on a pig. But today we bring some

Over the past couple of years, we've written several times about Triangle Park, a green space that sprung up at the intersection of E. Passyunk Avenue and Christian and S. 6th Streets a few years ago. This triangular lot was a gas station for decades, then it sat vacant, then

A couple of readers have reached out in recent days, wondering about all the scaffolding currently visible on the 1200 block of Bainbridge Street. We checked it out, and we recommend tempering your excitement levels.

We've covered some projects on this block in the last couple of years, including the construction

Two summers back, we wondered about the numerous vacancies on the 600 block of South Street, noting a couple of large and empty spaces that once held national retail tenants. Slowly, though, new businesses have trickled onto the block, replenishing some of the corridor's lost vibrancy.

Only a few months after