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.”

If NYC can ask for (and possibly get) $20 billion+ to build housing over train tracks, Philly should ask for $5 billion to build a mixed-use neighborhood over train tracks in a smaller and more central location that has already had copious planning...

Franklin Mills is closed indefinitely due to a fire according to Wooder Ice - huge news for the NE Philly mall, which is currently for sale.

25 units are coming to a former Bella Vista Rite Aid, and we have renderings. 9 townhouses and 16 condos, 34 parking spaces are heading to this unofficial Angelo's dining spot. This is after years of past proposals and community meetings. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/25-total-u...

Watching this instead of the State of the Union

Lokal Fishtown, the boutique hotel at 1421 N. Front St., is now for sale. The six-unit, four-story spot brings high design and "invisible service" and could be converted to multi-family use thanks to CMX-3 zoning. Thoughts on the look? jackphillyre.substack.com/p/lokal-fish...

This project just secured a $150 million construction loan to start next year, per multiple sources. A truly transformational project for the riverfront in South Philly.

Update: this project has been removed from the upcoming Civic Design Review meeting after it had been on the agenda previously. The intrigue continues…

A church is for sale across from Eastern State Penitentiary at 626-30 N. 21st St. in Fairmount. The early 20th-Century structure still looks immaculate inside and out, seemingly primed for residential development. We take a moment to ruminate, too. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/church-for...

We have a new sign to top the Roberts Children's Health building at 3501 Civic Center Blvd. on CHOP's West Philly campus. This will top a tower that will house hundreds of patients in a brand-new state-of-the-art facility.

This four-story project will head to the ZBA next month to seek approval for lot consolidation and construction. This will technically be two adjacent ten-unit buildings, so we're interested to see how the community reacts to the proposal. Design is from KJO Architecture.

Want to spend every waking moment around the pool from this Chestnut Hill home near the Morris Arboretum 😍

A giant Chestnut Hill new construction just lowered its price to $3.9 million. This new build offers plenty of room, but we have some questions about the interiors. A stately home just down the street provides an idea of what the area's charm (Img 4). jackphillyre.substack.com/p/a-giant-ne...

A sad day: both the building and the creator are no longer with us. RIP to a Philly giant.

Zoning permits were just issued today for the renovation of this gorgeous home at 1221 Pine St. Can't wait to see this long-vacant spot get fixed-up. More here: jackphillyre.substack.com/p/an-1827-fi...

We've got brand new renderings for an expanded Fishtown project at 1400 Frankford Ave. 26 units over nearly 5,200 sqft of commercial space are coming thanks to a low-income density bonus, with a sexy look from Canno Design to boot. jackphillyre.substack.com/p/update-new...

This project at Frankford & Master received zoning permits yesterday and appears to have increased in density: this will now be 27 units across four stories. No details yet, but excited to see the plans from Eclipse Development.