Friday Five: March 13th, 2026

We've got updates on Market Street, a Chestnut Hill approval, and hotel and grocery store news

This has been an odd week for us, with the impact of summer-like temperatures disappearing into winter-like snow showers throwing us for a loop. But we continue to move ahead, bringing you the latest and greatest goings on around the city. With the “False Spring” tease getting us excited for warmer weather, let’s dip into what’s happening across town.

Five units in Chestnut Hill see approval from the Historical Commission

A warm and welcoming rendering of the new proposal at 8226 Germantown Ave. (Image courtesy of Vich Properties)

After reporting on the multi-unit project in Chestnut Hill that was set to sit astride from the Detweiler House last month, we have an update! The developers for the property, Vich Properties, reached out to let us know that this concept was given the OK to proceed at today’s Historical Commission meeting. The four-story, mixed-use building will rise on an empty lot next to the protected house, bringing a design from Morrissey that’s worthy of the location.

Demo permit could mean movement for apartment tower in West Philadelphia

A look at the proposed tower at 4011 Market St. (Image courtesy of CUBE 3)

After first being proposed back in May 2023, zoning permits for demo were issued for low-rise buildings near 40th & Market. Plans from developer QuakerLane Capital and a design from CUBE 3 show a 341-unit, L-shaped building that will wrap around the existing commercial buildings on the corner. This is about as transit-oriented as one can get, sitting almost immediately atop the 40th St. MFL stop just outside the front door. We aren’t sure if this demo foretells construction soon after, but we hope that this doesn’t remain an empty lot in such a prime location for long.

Is Trader Joe’s coming to the riverfront in Pennsport?

The potential shopping center, now with generic signage (Image courtesy of MSC Retail)

Per the Inquirer, it appears that a Trader Joe’s might be joining the fold in South Philly. In the long-empty property next to Giant supermarket, an MSC Retail brochure (now updated) hinted that a Trader Joe’s would be a tenant at a yet-to-be-built shopping center along S. Columbus Blvd. in Pennsport. While we aren’t blown away by the potential design, a TJ’s joining an increasingly changing area could be exactly what the neighborhood needs. Let’s just hope that this isn’t too auto-oriented of a development.

No movement yet at Family Court building, African American Museum site

A rendering of the hotel and new construction towers (Image courtesy of Morris Adjmi Architects)

The revamp of the Family Court building in Logan Square to a hotel has been percolating around since VJ Edgecombe was five years old. Philly Mag was curious about the status of the project, which we checked on about a year ago, and found that not too much was happening: no new permits and confirmation that the lead developer, National, is no longer part of this project, per the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation. While this doesn’t mean the development - which also includes a planned relocation and new construction for the African American Museum - is dead necessarily, it is most certainly frustrating that such a key site has seen exactly nothing productive since 2010. Let’s step it up, Philly!

Market East gets refreshed storefronts, public art instead of planned demo

10th & Market, where the first major art installation will take place (Image courtesy of Center City District)

The last of our news for the week comes from Center City District, which just announced new plans for a stretch of Market East. As we first covered this past fall, HBSE/Comcast purchased several properties along the 900 & 1000 blocks of Market St. that had been slated for demo, with no firm plans for what was next. Given that this would be at best an ugly gaping hole when visitors from around the world would pour in for the 250th birthday celebrations this summer, the HBSE/Comcast/Fashion District team is pivoting to retail. Temporary installations will host local vendors, with public art to line the blocks near 10th & Market. Other cosmetic improvements will also take place, creating a short-term fix to an issue that has become a key component of Mayor Parker’s plans. While still a far cry from whatever the eventual plans end up looking like, this is a positive first step - and one that will hopefully reframe discussions of retail viability along this heavily trafficked stretch.