A Sixers arena could shrink Jefferson Station | Real Estate Newsletter

Debate over a possible Sixers arena in Center City continues — this time with an architectural twist.

A lot of the public conversation about the proposed basketball arena has centered on the binary of “bad” for Chinatown and “good” for Market Street.

But architecture critic Inga Saffron says it’s a bit more complicated than that.

The design is in the early stages of being worked out. But in her column, Inga looks at ways the project could harm both Market Street and Jefferson Station, which she calls “one of Philadelphia’s last great, government-built infrastructure projects.”🔑

Read on for Inga’s thoughts and to learn why finding a home is so hard for people with Section 8 vouchers, discover which outdoor home-improvement projects you should invest in, and peek into a light-filled home in Broomall.

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— Michaelle Bond

Fitting an 18,000-seat arena in a tight spot downtown is understandably challenging. And those challenges are becoming very clear as the Sixers design their planned arena, Inga Saffron writes in her column.

She found out that in a proposal to SEPTA and city planners, the Sixers wanted to sink the arena nearly two stories below sidewalk level. That would be similar to the setup at Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the (formerly New Jersey) Nets.

But here, the plan would mean lowering Jefferson Station’s ceilings. SEPTA said no.

The Sixers are expected to go back to an earlier plan that has the basketball court at roughly sidewalk level. But Inga said the rejected plan “has been an eye-opener.”

She says, “there’s no longer any doubt that the arena will significantly compromise Jefferson Station.”🔑

For more than 40 years, Philadelphia has had a law that bans property owners from discriminating against potential renters based on the source of the income they’ll use to pay rent. That includes housing vouchers and other public assistance.

But it happens all over the city anyway. And it’s another barrier to housing for renters who face too few affordable options.

Many landlords don’t want to deal with the red tape that comes with the vouchers or what they consider the added risks of working with a low-income population that has extra needs.

And they don’t have to when they get multiple applicants for one rental. They can choose one who doesn’t have a voucher without explicitly saying they’re rejecting a voucher holder because of the subsidy.

Then there are the landlords who say in their ads that they don’t accept vouchers.

Enforcement of the city law relies on renters’ complaints. And the city agency that investigates discrimination — housing and otherwise — has only six investigators.

I’ve written before about attempts to get landlords to accept housing vouchers.

Members of City Council held a hearing this week to try to find ways to end discrimination against voucher holders.

Rita’s stores across the country scooped out free water ice on Monday, which means spring is officially here. It’s time for a gardening story.🌷

The housing market now is pretty different than it was last spring and the spring before. Fewer buyers are searching, thanks to higher mortgage interest rates and home prices. The ones who are in the market are going to be more picky about the homes they look at, unlike in the days of skipped inspections.

So a home’s curb appeal matters. Especially if you’re an owner thinking about selling soon.

The National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Landscape Professionals teamed up to create a list of recommended outdoor projects that homeowners can enjoy now and an analysis of how much money owners can expect to recover when they sell.

From simple lawn maintenance to more complicated projects, here’s what the report found was worth investing in.

Diane Pinelli, now a New Yorker, decided to transform the Delaware County house where she grew up into a suburban getaway for entertaining on weekends.

The redesign started in 2015. That’s when she met and bonded with an “interior architect” she stumbled across in an online search. Together, the two have traveled to kitchen showrooms and looked through years worth of Pinelli’s magazine clippings.

Larisa McShane describes her work on the house as turning a traditional suburban home into an original showpiece.

McShane and Pinelli removed walls and opened up the 1,200-square-foot first floor into one large area. They combined red and black for some drama to stand out against a calming gray background.

Peek inside this reimagined home and see why Pinelli and McShane spent a year researching lighting.

Bob Gill of Deptford Township, Gloucester County, lives next to a property he calls “the mansion,” which he bought in 2000 as a long-term retirement project. When the former union bricklayer actually got around to retiring, the building was beyond repair, and now he plans to demolish it.

Question: What was found living inside the dilapidated duplex that had to be removed first? This story has the answer.

The Baldwin Locomotive Works was once the most successful builder of steam locomotives in the world. The Philadelphia intersection where it stood in the 1800s has transformed through the years and now hosts a new Giant supermarket with hundreds of apartments on top.

📮 Where in the city is this? If you think you know, email me back.

This week, I had a dream that I was buying a duplex in Philadelphia ... from Celine Dion. She offered me a great deal, too.

My dreams are rarely based in reality. That’s the way it is. Enjoy the rest of your week.