Demolition Upcoming at 48th and Spruce (SE corner)
Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections (L+I) has issued a zoning permit for redevelopment of the auto repair shop ("Ezra's) and the strip of 1-story retail spaces on the south side of the 4700 block of Spruce Street. While building permits have yet to be approved (more on that below), demolition permits were issued by L+I in the fall, and the owner has mailed notices informing neighbors that demolition will begin soon. The billboard on site has come down and demolition of buildings is expected to start in earnest in May.
In the event you observe any conditions or activities on site that raise concern about public safety, please submit a 311 request to the City and make note of the the service request number assigned. You can use that number to track the request and, if you like, you may followup with an email to our Councilperson Gauthier's office at 3rdDistrict@phila.gov; they can help make sure your concern is addressed.
The zoning permit issued by L+I (as noted in previous GCCA Zoning meeting agendas) is for a 12-story building (six stories on the east end) with commercial space on the first and second floors (proposed uses include restaurant and grocery store), 170 residential units, 28 vehicular parking spaces (accessed via Spruce Street), 76 bicycle parking spaces, and an off-street loading dock (accessed via 48th Street). Through the Low Income Housing Bonus, the proposal includes a $1.8M payment toward the Housing Trust Fund. The project was permitted by-right and does not require variances from the Zoning Board of Adjustment; due to its scale, however, it will be subject to Civic Design Review before issuance of a building permit, during which the developer will be required to provide more details through renderings, etc. The required community meeting is scheduled for May 11th at the GCCA Zoning Committee's regularly scheduled meeting. GCCA expects to receive project material ahead of the meeting and include it on our posted agenda, along with opportunity to submit questions and comments, which will be shared with our membership early in the week of May 2nd. Please stay tuned.
Additionally, GCCA's Community Garden Committee and Philadelphia's Department of Parks and Recreation are actively engaged in discussion with the developer about how to best mitigate any negative impacts of construction on the Garden and tennis courts (Parks and Rec is the owner), and improve them following construction.