The buildings that housed Mamma Maria, the recently closed East Passyunk Italian spot, are for sale. This consists of 1637 E. Passyunk Ave./1632 S. Jessup St. ($1.5M) & 1639 E. Passyunk Ave. ($2M), which can be purchased separately or together. More change yet for E. Passyunk Ave.

Zoning permits were issued Wednesday for the construction of the long-awaited Penn's Landing Park. This 11-acre park along the Delaware River from Chestnut & Walnuts St. just saw the first beams go up over I-95/Delaware Ave. - a major step for this transformational project.

110 units and a new design are proposed for the Francisville Triangle. After being vacant for decades a multi-family building is going to CDR for the south portion of the property, which is seeing 29 rowhomes on the northern portion. Thoughts on the plans? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/110-units-...

Progress at 208-12 Vine St. in Old City. This will be 35 residential units and some parking and rose on the site of a former Colonial-era manufacturing facility. Landmark Architectural Design handled the look.

"Turning New," the Percent for Art installation proposed at Riverview Wellness Center, was approved last week. This will add visual interest and seating to a path between the old and new construction campus. The design is from Marguerite de Messieres and Tsvetomir Naydenov.

Wayfinding signage is planned in East Passyunk, per a submission to an upcoming Art Commission meeting on 5/20. The sign - designed by Pace Arch. & Design - would go up on the sidewalk across from Pat's and include a map of the entire BID, the local blocks, and local event info.

Street walls of Delaware Ave.

Rendering vs. Reality: 5th & Bainbridge 157 units under construction at 5th & Bainbridge in Queen Village. This is replacing a surface parking lot that operated here for years.

Still under construction after years and years at 10th & Spring Garden. Eight stories and 21 units have been planned here, but we aren’t sure the status of this mystery project that’s right next to Union Transfer.

A former parking garage could see 12 stories, 20 units in the future. The property at 725-29 S. Broad St. has hit the market and the conceptual plans are rather exciting after a proposal from 2019 came and went. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/developmen...

A 3-bed/2-bath home in East Passyunk Crossing recently hit the market for $650,000. This charming house captures what many buyers are looking for in South Philly in 2026, from the size to the parking to the look. After just weeks, a sale is pending. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/boho-chic-...

Lots of progress at the Commerce St. Connector, a pedestrian upgrade to a small section of pathway between Market St. and 4th St. Would love to see this ready sooner than later with all of the other updates on Market. Design is from Ground Reconsidered.

Another office-to-residential conversion is planned at the Arnold T. Berman, MD Building at 219-25 N. Broad St. 90 units are coming to a building that has served as various office uses over the years. This is across from other residential reuse plans. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/drexel-med...

Found a hidden park no one knows about but me 👀

Arch St. views

Two gorgeous mosaics are proposed for Francis J. Myers Rec Center in SW Philly. One on the exterior and one for the interior, this Percent for Art proposal from artist Reginald C. Adams would completely transform the building, which is seeing other renovations as well.

Today vs. two years ago at 2nd & Arch in Old City. Formerly home to Economy restaurant supply warehouse, this will soon be home to the Diplomat, a boutique hotel that will focus on group stays. Thoughts on the changes?

63 units over four floors received zoning permits for this project from the past. 1015 S. 3rd St. in Queen Village looks to be back after going through CDR in 2021. This residential-only project will feature no car parking next to the Wash. Ave. Connector. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/63-units-i...

The LOVE Park Visitors Center is seeing a revamp before it's reactivated in advance of this summer. While the changes aren't major, it could mean that we'll find out more about what's coming to the flying saucer-like building that's been empty for years. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/updates-to...

A far away look at the crane and core at Piazza Alta, which will bring another residential tower to the complex.

Three adjacent surface parking lots are for sale on the Avenue of the Arts near Broad & Lombard. This 0.21-acre property is zoned CMX-4, meaning we could see something substantial in the future along this evolving corridor. What would you want to see? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/collection...

No fooling here: demo is imminent at 3rd & Cherry in Old City. Four luxury condos are slated to rise on the site of the beloved former restaurant, adding more density to one of our favorite commercial corridors.

66 rowhome and 99 parking spaces are planned for an awkward lot in far Northeast Philly. This complex still needs both CDR and ZBA approval, but it brings a little rowhome action to one of the more suburban parts of the city. Thoughts on the look? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/66-rowhome...

Seven retail spaces along Market East received new zoning permits this week. These properties are part of the HBSE/Comcast plans and will see everything from retail to sit-down restaurants to "public entertainment space." What would you want to see? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/several-re...

The start of tulip season 🤘

33 S. 16th St. at 16th & Ranstead in Center City is now available for sale/lease. This Mid-Century building was updated in 2019 by MM Partners and is now listed by Metro CRE after the Wawa that was here closed in December 2024. What would you want to see go in this space?

New life science space, a shift in concept. two conversions, and a nice little $10 million grant take us into the weekend. So much happening across the real estate spectrum and we have a nice little summary for you as you watch some basketball. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/friday-fiv...

It's official: a zoning permit for demo was issued last week for the Hotel Carlyle at 1423-25 Poplar St. in Francisville. A fire three years ago damaged the former boarding house turned hotel, which was famous for being a safe space for Black travelers during segregation.

A four-story, mixed-use building will rise at a former tire shop in East Kensington. 2001 N. Front St. will bring a modern flat-iron building to an intersection that saw an older historic bank sadly see the wrecking ball. Thoughts on the plans? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/mixed-use-...

Friday Five: March 13th, 2026 We give you the rundown on Market St. updates, a Chestnut Hill Approval, and hotel/grocery store updates. What better way to spend a lovely afternoon than by reading up on this? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/friday-fiv...

The site of a 341-unit apartment proposal at 4011 Market St. received zoning permits for demo yesterday, a big step before the potential redevelopment of the site. This L-shaped building from QuakerLane Capital/CUBE3 sits right above the MFL and will have ground floor retail.

176 residential units are close at 4th & Market. 400 Market Flats sees the former Brutalist office tower shift to apartments, with pre-leasing already started for a potential mid-April opening. This and the new bike paths will change Old City. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/176-apartm...

Strange but true: There is only ONE property along the entire length of Callowhill St. that is listed the Philadelphia Register of Historical Places: four new-construction rowhomes at the edge of a parking lot at 10-18 Callowhill St, now known as Callowhill Court.

UPDATE: some new info on the 2nd & Market Plaza in Old City. This updated approach will see substantial movable planters here with the statue not yet planned to move, as conversations are still on-going. Updated rendering courtesy of Independence National Historical Trust/FCA.

Today and tomorrow at 2nd & Market in Old City, where a major streetscape improvement is wrapping up. Bike lanes and pedestrian improvements are complete west of here to Independence Mall. We are stoked to see this plaza in the future. Old City District led the charge here.

The corner of 4th & Cherry in Old City

Friday Five: March 6th, 2026 We've got the word on office conversions, historical demolitions, renovated town halls, cancelled hotels, and brand-new affordable housing in the return of everyone's favorite round-up 😎 jackphillyre.substack.com/p/friday-fiv...

63 affordable units received zoning permits at 2006 Cecil B. Moore Ave. after going through Civic Design Review in September. Three-stories and ground-floor retail will rise on a site that's been vacant for over 20 years. This is being developed by the Phila. Housing Authority.

541 E. Girard Ave., the former home of Kraftwork Bar, is now for sale. After the Fishtown bar temporarily closed in June 2025, it seems that this might be more than temporary. In addition to the 1,500 sqft bar, there are two 2-bedroom apartments above. It can be yours for $1.55M.

A damaged rowhome across from Clark Park that was in the spotlight a few years ago is getting a new life. A multifamily building will rise on the site, bringing a modern look to site of a 1910s rowhome - developed by the long-time owners. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/a-preserve...

Arthaus peeking between the other newish residential towers

A 260-unit project at 4401 Ridge Ave. in East Falls got the OK from CDR yesterday. It has an upcoming trip to the ZBA in late March, but this donut-shaped building with nearly 10K sqft of commercial space (and a 217-car garage) completes a major step. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/260-unit-a...

We return to the Art Museum area to revisit the first of two massive homes. This spot will hit the market later this week for $3.95 after neighbors insisted on limiting what could be built, though they do look pretty great. Thoughts on the approach? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/first-of-t...

We return to the Art Museum area to revisit the first of two massive homes. This spot will hit the market later this week for $3.95 after neighbors insisted on limiting what could be built, though they do look pretty great. Thoughts on the approach? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/first-of-t...

La Locanda Del Ghiottone is slated for demo at 3rd & Cherry in Old City. The former restaurant will become four luxury condos over commercial space along N 3rd St.'s commercial stretch. How do you feel about the mixed-use plans? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/la-locanda...

Per Daniel Pearson of the Inquirer, a judge reversed the historic district for Washington Square West. We’d imagine there will be some pushback on the ruling, but as of now, the designation has been reversed. The map shows the impacted area. What are your thoughts on the ruling?

Art everywhere

The corner building at 2001 E. Allegheny Ave. in Kensington is changing from a gun shop to a coffee shop per a recent zoning permit. Owned by Impact Services Corporation, a neighborhood-supporting non-profit, is this shift a sign of the times for the area?

The South Wetlands Park just received $325K of funding for the last stage of planning. This will help create a brand-new eco-park on the piers behind the South Philly Walmart and was a great reason to reference both Walmart Beach and Chicken Pier. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/south-wetl...

Building a bus terminal at 30th St would a “very expensive” and complicated project, but it’s technically feasible, a planner said — “it would just require an expansion and reinforcement of what’s there.”