Opinion Eyes on the Street

March 28: PGW sale Q&A | E-cigarette restrictions | Revised 4224 Baltimore Ave plans | Grays Ferry Triangle ped plaza | Helen Gym named Champion of Change

Eyes on the Street

March 28, 2014

This weekend SOSNA turned on the Catherine Thorn fountain in the northern triangle

Good morning and happy Friday, Eyes on the Street!

The City has released commonly asked questions and answers about its agreement to sell Philadelphia Gas Works to UIL Holdings Corporation. The questions address concerns raised by consumers, businesses, government officials and City workers and aim to clear up misinformation that has allegedly been released by those who oppose the sale.

City Council approved a bill prohibiting electronic cigarettes in the same public places where traditional cigarettes are banned, NewsWorks reports. A second bill to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors was also approved.

A revised plan for the 4224 Baltimore Avenue development includes two sections – one five stories and one eight stories, a large restaurant facing Clark Park and a retail fitness center. The plan also includes 132 apartments and condos with one to three bedrooms. West Philly Local reports that some neighbors attending a community meeting this week complained that the building is out of character with nearby Victorian homes.

A six-month pilot program will close a portion of Grays Ferry Ave at 23rd and South streets to make way for an expanded Grays Ferry Triangle, reports Passyunk Post. The expanded pedestrian plaza is in front of local businesses including Grace Tavern, Juice!, Igloo and Little Theater.

Philadelphia civic leader Helen Gym will be honored as a White House Cesar E. Chavez Champion of Change. The Public School Notebook explains taht Gym will be named one of 10 Champions of Change for her work in education and her work with Asian American immigrant communities in Philadelphia. Among other accomplishments, Gym leads the Asian Americans United group, helped found a Chinatown-based charter school and co-founded Parents United for Public Education.

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