Trying to turn City Ave. residential | Real Estate Newsletter

When I think of City Avenue, traffic and shopping come to mind.

But local planners want to transform the retail and office center into something more residential.

Most of the apartment buildings along City Avenue are on the Philadelphia side. But Lower Merion has had a bunch of residential development on its side in recent years. And policymakers want more homes built.

Keep scrolling for that story and to see how the mayor’s key housing production goal for Philadelphia has changed, learn about warranties for something not covered by home insurance, and peek inside a Bryn Mawr home with a “kids’ cave.”

📮Did you create an area of your home specifically for your kids? For a chance to be featured in my newsletter, email me.

— Michaelle Bond

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If you’ve been over to City Avenue to shop or eat recently, you might have seen the fences that have gone up at the site of the former Lord & Taylor’s department store.

After the company went bankrupt and closed stores across the country, the City Avenue property owner decided to put apartments on the site.

Plans are underway to bring 217 homes and a smaller retail space to 121 E. City Ave.

Other owners of nearby properties also want to bring more homes to the area. One planned development would have 272 and another would have 425.

Lower Merion is set to triple its number of apartments on City Avenue.

One word can make all the difference in a campaign promise. Especially when you’re talking about housing and that word is affordable.

On the campaign trail in a crowded field of candidates running to be the Democratic nominee for mayor last year, now-Mayor Cherelle L. Parker repeatedly promised to build 30,000 units of affordable housing in Philadelphia.

What exactly “affordable” means is a squishy subject and can get you different answers based on which politicians, developers, and residents you talk to. But as housing costs get more expensive, it’s clear that homes have become unaffordable for more Philadelphians.

What’s less clear is the evolution of Parker’s campaign promise. Sometime after winning the Democratic primary, she shifted to describing it as a goal to build or repair 30,000 homes of any kind.

My colleagues Sean Collins Walsh and Jake Blumgart lay out what you need to know about the mayor’s housing goal, including what will count toward it and how the administration plans to achieve it.

We all know there are lots of scams out there waiting to get us if we let our guard down. So it’s natural that homeowners might feel suspicious if they see fliers trying to sell them underground plumbing warranties.

But the Philadelphia Water Department recommends plumbing protection, especially if you live in an older home. Philly homeowners are responsible for the pipes that run from their homes to their street’s water and sewer mains.

Water line repairs and replacement can be really expensive, and these pipes aren’t covered by most home insurance policies.

But just because these warranties aren’t scams doesn’t mean they’re for everybody.

Here’s what Philly homeowners should consider when it comes to water and sewage line warranties.

In 2021, Sandra Choi Roderick and Matthew Gantz found an 8,000-square-foot, six-bedroom house in Bryn Mawr that they saw as the perfect home to blend their two families, including six kids who are now between the ages of 17 and 23.

The couple modernized the home, which was built in 1981, and completely renovated the solarium and basement.

I love a good solarium or sunroom. This one has windows on every wall and a big skylight. It’s got cozy seating and a two-level bar. And the couple’s children use it as a hangout spot.

Another one is in the basement, where the “kids’ cave” is. It features an 80-inch television with surround-sound and a snack and candy bar.

The basement also has some adult treats. A glass-enclosed wine cellar stores the family’s large collection of bottles that have special meaning.

Take a peek inside the home, see the special features outside, and learn how the couple turned the home into their blended families’ retreat.

North Wildwood was once the largest beach in New Jersey. But it’s been severely eroded. After a nearly two-year fight with the state, the Shore town will soon get emergency beach replenishment.

Question: To fight erosion, North Wildwood has spent millions of dollars in recent years to import sand from which other Shore town?

A) Wildwood

B) Stone Harbor

C) Cape May

D) Sea Isle City

This story has the answer.

Do you know the location this photo shows?

📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.

Shout out to Josh M., Rosemary C., and Lars W. for recognizing that last week’s quiz featured a colorful photo of the roller-skating rink at Dilworth Park.

Lars told me that before the birth of the park, “the entire plaza felt foreboding and inhospitable and I always did my best to walk briskly through the plaza to get to my destination or to the subway. How nice the plaza has been replaced with the park! What a difference. So inviting, engaging, and pleasant.”

Last week, I asked whether you have a piece of art in your home that you really love. One reader responded with artwork she created.

Linda H. is a mosaic artist and native of the Oxford Circle neighborhood who just moved from Washington state to Chester County to be near family. She said she plans to put her piece above bookcases in the living area of her home.

“It’s about putting on masks, but I like the story to be created by the viewer, so I can’t say more about it. It will remain a mystery until the next set of eyes glance upon it. I am in love with magic realism, and any weirdly juxtaposed images appeal to me.”

Enjoy the rest of your week.

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This newsletter has been updated to correct the relative size of the increase in apartments set to come to City Avenue in Lower Merion.