Northeast Community Center, 2840 Holme Ave. Photo/Haniyyah Sharpe

With a damaged roof, a stalled Sheriff’s Sale and no perspective tenants, the Northeast Community Center at 2840 Holme Ave. in Holme Circle is likely also still without a buyer.

Holme Circle Civic Association President Elsie Stevens said last week that brothers Ravinder “Robbie” and Hardeep Chawla will probably not follow through with a deal to purchase the center, mainly because of the inability to find a tenant. continue reading »

Volunteers collect more than 70 bags of trash from Pennypack Park in the area around Nazareth Hospital. Photo/Raymond Boyd

The Friends of Pennypack Park group works to beautify the park to preserve it for the enjoyment of future generations.

Though the group has an eye on the future, there is a particular area of the park that carries great historical significance. The Pennypack Creek Bridge, also known as the Holmesburg Bridge, was named a historical landmark by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in October.

The newly named historical site faces a number of issues that go beyond the occasional can or plastic bag that The FOPP typically deals with. Volunteers, along with neighborhood civic organizations and the police are making an effort to address the prostitution, homelessness and drug use problems in this area of the park.

As the area continues to deal with crime and other issues, FOPP, led by President Linde Lauff, remains committed to the well-being of the bridge and the surrounding park. continue reading »

The Stella site plan. See full documents at the end of this article. Image/Columbus Property Management

Documents related to this story are embedded at the bottom of the article. The Holme Circle Civic Association stuck fliers in about 1,200 doors advertising Wednesday night’s meeting as part of a renewed effort to grow the membership.

It worked. The line to sign into the meeting was out the door as HCCA board members scurried to add more chairs to the St. Jerome School hall to accommodate the roughly 200 people who attended the meeting.

They were there to talk about The Stella, the affordable housing units planned for the old convent on the Nazareth Hospital property at 2723 Holme Ave. When the HCCA last met in November, Columbus Property Management shared plans to turn convent into 44 affordable housing units for veterans. continue reading »

Plans for affordable housing for vets was the topic at a crowded Holme Circle Civic Association meeting Nov. 28. Photo/Shannon McDonald

“This meeting is going to pot.”

It was 8:49 p.m. Wednesday and Holme Circle residents had just spent nearly two hours listening to details of a plan to convert the old Sisters of Nazareth convent into affordable housing. The soon-to-be property owners had trickled out and residents had begun to carry on sidebar conversations as Holme Circle Civic Association President Joe Razler called everyone back to order.

It had been a long two hours, as residents asked repeated questions about the project – which does not need a zoning variance – that the four representative from Columbus Property Management struggled to answer effectively.

The convent is adjacent to but separate from Nazareth Hospital at 2723 Holme Ave. The hospital president will address the plan at the next HCCA meeting in January, but told residents last night, “we have nothing to say about it.”

But Holme Circle residents, joined by representatives from the Ashton Square and Winchester Park civic associations, had plenty to say. Namely, they were concerned about CPM’s inability to guarantee that the 44 new housing units will be reserved for veterans. continue reading »

The Northeast Community Center on Holme Avenue was scheduled for sheriff’s sale Tueday. Image/Google Maps

The Northeast Community Center at 2840 Holme Ave. was scheduled for a sheriff’s sale on Tuesday, according to its executive director, Stan Cohen.

The center owes $1.1 million to TD Bank that the center borrowed to build an addition, and the lender has foreclosed, Cohen said.

If the center is sold and eventually  closes, its 900 members and several local organizations will be unable to use its large pool, gym or fitness room and youngsters won’t be able to take part in its pre-school and after-school programs.

Read the rest of this story from the Northeast Times

A rendering of the building proposed for the Sisters of the Hole Family of Nazareth, as presented at Wednesday's Holme Circle Civic Association meeting. Photo/Elsie Stevens

As part of its annual Rite of Spring, the Holme Circle Civic Association invited candidates seeking office in the April 24 primary election to its “Candidates’ Night” Wednesday. Joining them were presentations from the Friends of Pennypack Park and the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Presenting their platforms were four candidates all seeking election for the position as their district’s state representative. continue reading »

Surveillance footage of the Jan. 25 pharmacy robbery in Holme Circle. Image/Philadelphia Police

Northeast Detectives are on the hunt for a suspect wanted in a series of robberies, the most recent of which took place in Holme Circle.

On Jan. 25, the suspect held up the pharmacist at Circle Pharmacy on the 2800-block of Holme Avenue, fleeing the scene with multiple medications. He was last seen around 7 p.m. jumping over the fence at the rear of the property, and is wanted for several other robberies that began Dec. 10. continue reading »

With repairs to the Holme Avenue Bridge complete, the Holme Circle Civic Association has turned its attention to the rest of the avenue, specifically, the Circle.

Serving three major roads and connecting the pockets of Winchester Park and Ashton, the Circle has seen better days. By PennDOT’s estimate, 40,000 vehicles pass through it everyday, prompting the HCCA to want a better impression form the neighborhood.

Talks of a beautification project began late last year when the bridge reopened, but HCCA members Joe Razler, Elsie Stevens and Mike Gould are now weighing their options for first steps.

“We haven’t set a fixed dollar amount yet to raise,” Gould told members. continue reading »

Friday – A 74-year-old woman died Friday morning after being struck by a car in Holmesburg.

The woman was crossing Frankford  Avenue traffic on the 7700-block where she was picking up a rental car when she was struck. Authorities are trying to determine if the driver, who stopped, will be charged. continue reading »

The Holme Avenue Bridge re-opened the afternoon of Oct. 25. Photo by Stephen Schultz

Months of work and detours culminated at 2 p.m. yesterday when the Holme Avenue Bridge re-opened.

Work on the Holme Circle bridge began earlier this year with partial lane closures, but by the end of June, both lanes on either side closed for good after PennDOT and Buckley Construction found structural deficiencies.

PennDOT assured Holme Circle residents the bridge would re-open by Christmas — a long time, given commuters hadn’t expected it, but far sooner than if repairs had continued with partial lane openings, as was the original plan. continue reading »